Ralph Nader

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Lore & Background

Nader appeared on the ballot in 43 states and DC, up from 22 in 1996. He received 2,882,955 votes, or 2.74 percent of the popular vote. His campaign did not attain the 5 percent required to qualify the Green Party for federally distributed public funding in the next election, though the percentage enabled the Green Party to achieve ballot status in new states such as Delaware and Maryland. Some analysts believe that had Nader and the Green Party not participated, Al Gore would have won. Even Nader's post-election analysis seems to confirm this theory, though when asked, Nader pointed to other factors and other ways Gore could have won, as did his ally, Jim Hightower. On July 9, the Vermont Progressive Party nominated Nader, giving him ballot access in the state. On August 12, the United Citizens Party of South Carolina chose him as its presidential nominee. The Association of State Green Parties organized the national nominating convention in Denver, Colorado, in June 2000, where Greens nominated Nader and LaDuke. Nader qualified to appear on the state ballot in 43 states plus DC. In four states—Georgia, Indiana, Idaho, and Wyoming—his name did not appear but he was eligible to receive official write-in votes. In three states—North Carolina, Oklahoma, and South Dakota—he neither appeared on the ballot nor was eligible for write-in votes.

Reader's Guide

Nader campaigned against the pervasiveness of corporate power and spoke on the need for campaign finance reform. His campaign also addressed problems with the two party system, voter fraud, environmental justice, universal healthcare, affordable housing, free education including college, workers' rights and increasing the minimum wage to a living wage. He focused on the three-strikes rule, exoneration for prisoners for drug related non-violent crimes, legalization of commercial hemp and marijuana, and a shift in tax policies to place the burden more heavily on corporations. He opposed pollution credits and giveaways of publicly owned assets. The campaign staged a series of large rallies that each drew over 10,000 paying attendees, such as 12,000 in Boston. In October 2000, at the largest rally, in New York City's Madison Square Garden, 15,000 people paid $20 each to attend. Nader said his two main opponents, Vice President Al Gore and Texas Governor George W. Bush, were "Tweedledee and Tweedledum - they look and act the same, so it doesn't matter which you get." He denounced them as "the bad and the worse." The California Nurses Association and the United Electrical Workers endorsed his candidacy and campaigned for him. In the 2000 presidential election in Florida, George W. Bush defeated Al Gore by 537 votes. Nader received 97,421 votes in Florida, leading to a general consensus that Nader's campaign took enough votes from Gore in Florida to cost him the election. Prior to the election, a group of activists who had formerly worked for Nader calling themselves "Nader's Raiders for Gore" urged him to end his campaign. Sierra Club president Carl Pope sent an open letter calling Nader's strategy "irresponsible" and "dangerous and reckless." The Republican Leadership Council ran pro-Nader ads in a few states in an effort to split the liberal vote.

Did You Know?

• Nader's 2000 campaign was his second as the Green nominee and his third overall, having run as a write-in in 1992 and a passive campaign on the Green ballot line in 1996.
• His vice presidential running mate was Winona LaDuke, an environmental activist and member of the Ojibwe tribe of Minnesota.
• Nader appeared on the ballot in 43 states and DC, up from 22 in 1996.
• The largest campaign rally drew 15,000 people paying $20 each at New York City's Madison Square Garden in October 2000.
• In Florida, Nader received 97,421 votes while George W. Bush defeated Al Gore by only 537 votes.

From a Lebanese Bakery to the Nation's Law Schools

His father, Nathra, worked in a textile mill before opening a bakery and restaurant where young Ralph sometimes helped out. He earned his LL.B. in 1958. Though he had once identified with libertarian philosophy, witnessing slum conditions and landlord exploitation reshaped his views. After law school he served as an Army cook at Fort Dix before entering practice in Hartford.

The Book That Shook an Industry

In 1965, Nader published Unsafe at Any Speed, a journalistic exposé that argued American automobiles were broadly unsafe to drive. The book became an instant bestseller, but it also provoked a fierce corporate response. General Motors attempted to discredit Nader by tapping his telephone and, when that yielded nothing, by hiring prostitutes in an effort to trap him in a compromising situation. The lawyer sued for invasion of privacy and settled for $425,000, using the proceeds to found the Center for the Study of Responsive Law.

Building a Movement of Watchdogs

Nader's influence extended far beyond a single book. In 1968 he assembled a small team of seven volunteer law students, whom the Washington press corps quickly nicknamed "Nader's Raiders," to scrutinize the Federal Trade Commission. Their report branded the agency "ineffective" and "passive," and the findings led directly to a major overhaul of the FTC.

The Dissident's Presidential Gambits and Enduring Legacy

Nader made four bids for the presidency, running under the Green Party banner in 1996 and 2000 and as an independent in 2004 and 2008. In each campaign he framed his candidacy as an opportunity to spotlight under-reported issues and to press for electoral reform. His 2000 run drew nearly three million votes, but it also generated intense controversy: allegations surfaced that his presence on the ballot may have helped Republican George W. Bush edge out Democrat Al Gore in a razor-thin contest. Beyond politics, Nader's body of work is vast. The New York Times, for its part, simply called him a "dissident"—a label that, given his decades of challenging corporate power and governmental inertia, seems to fit with uncomfortable precision.