Rejecting pleas from Democratic leaders and some former allies, liberal activist Ralph Nader announced yesterday that he is entering the 2004 presidential race as an independent.
Many Democrats blame Nader, who received 2.8 million votes as the Green Party nominee four years ago, for enabling George W. Bush to become president. Had Nader not run, most who voted for him would have supported Al Gore, argue Democratic leaders, who had implored Nader to stay out of this year's race.
"After careful thought, and my desire to retire our supremely selected president, I've decided to run," Nader said yesterday on NBC's Meet the Press.
He attacked what he called the "two-party duopoly," saying it offers Americans no real choice, stifles political competition and discourages millions from voting.
The campaign may be something of a last hurrah for the Harvard-educated lawyer who came to national attention four decades ago by exposing safety hazards in U.S. automobiles. Nader turns 70 this week.
A perennial candidate, he has competed in every presidential election since 1992, when he sought write-in votes in New Hampshire's primary.
Political analysts predict he will get less support than four years ago but say he could still be a factor in a close race.
Democratic National Chairman Terry McAuliffe, who failed to talk Nader out of running, said: "It will be much more difficult for him." He called Nader's decision "unfortunate."
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, played down any potential threat from a Nader candidacy.
"I'm going to appeal to everybody in this race, and we'll make it unnecessary in the end for an alternative," Kerry said at a campaign stop in Atlanta.
Sen. John Edwards, a North Carolina Democrat, said Nader's candidacy "will not impact my campaign."
For weeks, Democratic Party officials had lobbied Nader, publicly and privately, to remain on the sidelines.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, chairman of the Democratic National Convention and a possible vice presidential candidate, called Nader's decision "a total act of ego."
Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell, a former national Democratic chairman, predicted that Nader would get fewer than one-third of the votes he got in 2000.
Even that, however, could prove significant if the election is extremely close.
