Ralph Nader Makes Florida Ballot

Via the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel:

Ralph Nader is back. The perennial presidential candidate will be on the Florida ballot in November. Nader's name is anathema to many Democrats in Florida becuase they blame him for President Bush's 2000 election. They argue that the votes he siphoned from Gore made Bush the winner in the state. With Florida's electoral votes, Bush became president.

The Nader campaign, and his vice presidential candidate, Matt Gonzalez, were nominated by the Ecology Party of Florida, the campaign said. Here is the Nader campaign's statement:

Gary Hecker, treasurer of the Ecology Party, is thrilled with the choice of candidates. "Nader and Gonzalez are the only candidates that truly put the environment at the forefront. Mr. Nader was instrumental in establishing the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the EPA. Nader/Gonzalez will not sell out to corporate interests. I can't believe that any real environmentalist would support anyone else."

The Nader/Gonzalez campaign has completed its goal of achieving 45 state ballots, and will be a write-in choice in four other states. Mr. Nader and Mr. Gonzalez are pleased to be allying with a party that has initiative, ecological wisdom, and an eye for the future.

In 2000, Nader received 97,426 votes in Florida. Though that was just 1.6 percent of the vote, George W. Bush won the state by just 537 votes. Had he not been on the ballot, many Democrats reason, Gore would have gotten somewhat more than half his votes, and Bush wouldn't have won the state's electoral votes and thus would not have won the presidency in that disputed election.

The Ecology Party? WTF?