Ralph Nader presidential campaign, 2004
Ralph Nader is running for the U.S. Presidency in the 2004 election, as he has in several previous elections. In 1996 and 2000, Nader was the candidate of the Green Party; in this election, however, he is running as an independent candidate.
Nader has won the endorsement of the Reform Party USA, and will run as the Reform candidate in several states. However, many former state Reform Parties are controlled by a far-right splinter group, the America First Party, which will not endorse Nader. In some of these states Nader will be on the ballot as an independent candidate, while in a number of others, Nader has been unable to meet the requirements for ballot access, and will not be on the ballot at all.
Nader on the ballot
As of September 15, 2004, Nader will be on the ballot in 34 states, and may qualify for ballot access in as many as 43 states before the election. In several states, elections officials may have placed Nader on the ballot inappropriately, and are being sued to remove him from the ballot. In a number of states, Nader's candidacy has become a point of dispute in the struggle between the Democratic and Republican Parties, with Republicans supporting Nader on the principle that he leeches votes from the Democrats, and Democrats making allegations of illegal conduct.
A partially complete list of states where Nader's place on the ballot was disputed is as follows:
