Drafting Saint Ralph

A coalition tries to bring a wider choice to the '96 election.

by Andy Bauck
The Free Press

A coalition of Puget Sound activists has been meeting for the past two months in an effort to draft tireless consumer advocate and corporate critic Ralph Nader as a candidate for president in Washington State. The effort is part of a nationwide push which began in November 1995 when Nader accepted the Green Party of California's request to appear as a presidential candidate on the Green Party's primary ballot. Since then, Nader has already qualified for the general election ballot in Maine and Alaska, and organizing is currently taking place in dozens of other states.

Ralph Nader is well-known for championing the rights of individuals while standing up to corporate abuses. One of the best known and most popular leftists on the national level, Nader has declined previous attempts to draft him as a presidential candidate. This year Nader has stated that he will not campaign or fundraise, but has given a subtle nod to progressive activists wishing to use his name as an organizing tool.
While there has been speculation that Nader's strategy is to attempt to nudge Clinton's platform to the left by offering to step down at the last minute in exchange for specific promises, local organizers hope to use Nader's popularity and name recognition to inject progressive ideas into the discussion leading up to the November election. Clinton has good reason to be worried by a Nader candidacy-a recent poll in California shows him drawing six percent of the vote, which could make the difference in a tight race between Clinton and Dole.
After flirting with the idea of forming an independent progressive party which would outlast the 1996 presidential campaign, Washington activists have decided to change this focus to avoid interfering with party-building efforts already underway by the New Party, Labor Party Advocates, and the Green Party. Now, the strategy revolves around organizing support for Ralph Nader within Washington State and preparing for a nominating convention the last week of June-the state's requirement for ballot status in November. It is unclear at this point if an existing party will offer to sponsor Nader's candidacy locally, if the effort will be part of a coalition, or if he will appear as an independent in the presidential election.

For more information, call the Washington Draft Nader for President Committee hotline at (206) 789-8730. The national Draft Ralph Nader Clearinghouse can be reached toll-free at 1-888-NADER-96.


For an update on Nader for President activities, please see:
"You can be a Nader Nominator"



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Contents on this page were published in the April/May, 1996 edition of the Washington Free Press.
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