Despite not officially declaring his run for the Green Party nomination for president, Nader did well on Super Tuesday, February 5.
Nader had a landslide victory in California where he won with 61 percent, 17,065 votes, in nearly complete returns. Democrat turned Green Party member last year Cynthia McKinney had 7,178, or 26 percent of the 30,000 votes cast.
Greens voted in three other states on Tuesday where the party’s ballot status qualifies it to hold primaries:
In Illinois, where Nader was not on the ballot, nearly complete returns had McKinney leading a four-candidate field with 57 percent of the vote.In Arkansas, where Nader was not on the ballot, early returns suggested that the majority of votes were cast for an uncommitted delegate slate. McKinney ran second with 22 percent.Statewide results from Massachusetts were not yet available Wednesday afternoon. But results from some cities had Nader running slightly ahead of McKinney.”
Nader indicated last week that he was considering making another run for the presidency in 2008, especially if New York Senator Hillary Clinton is the Democratic nominee.
Oooooh! He’s gunning for you, Hil. Quick, check out the tapes of Al Gore’s 2000 election loss to train for the fight. Because, you know Nader: he’s watching us all with the eye of the tiger…
The Draft Bloomberg committee, started by Unity08 co-founders Doug Bailey and Gerald Rafshoon, posted a new Web video warning Bloomberg that he has 10 days to officially put himself in the presidential race as a third-party candidate.
The video features a digital clock running down–as seen on Fox Network show “24,” the ticking of a time bomb and footage of an explosion, presumably a terrorist attack. It urges people to sign the petition at DraftBloomberg.com. It was so dramatic I was one terrorist explosion away from adding my electronic signature to the petition in virtual support of the billionaire mayor.
What’s the rush? “With ballot access laws in several states requiring early action, time is running out,” the committee’s press release stated. “Virtually any effort to qualify for the Texas ballot, for example, must begin the day after the Texas primary on March 4.”
According to Bailey, the decision has to be made in this time frame to get out in front of the Lone Star State primary, which is expected to generate a huge turnout and potentially decide the Democratic contest.
Well no amount of flashy Adobe Premier Elements is going to persuade Bloomberg to make a hasty decision. The NYC mayor may not decide until May whether to run for president, according to associates.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg Thursday put some oomph behind his daily denial of his presidential aspirations. His response to a reporter’s question during an appearance at Google’s New York headquarters in Chelsea signaled an end to the speculation:
“I’ve said repeatedly I’m not a candidate…and I’ll stay that way.”
These new, seemingly definitive, comments come after California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (formerly one of Bloomberg’s biggest allies) announced earlier last week that the Governator plans to endorse Sen. John McCain in the GOP primary Tuesday. That blow, coupled with the permanence of the word “stay,” had followers of this one-man presidential debate thinking Bloomberg finally made up his mind not to run.
But, alas, a new wrinkle was added to the confusion on Friday when Bloomberg called the presidential race “wide open” on his weekly WABC-770 radio show. The comment came after host John Gambling if the primary results would give him “an opportunity to re-evaluate your personal situation.” Of course, the comment could have meant nothing, but with Democrat-turned Republican-turned Independent-turned ellipses-Mayor Bloomberg you have to assume he meant something by it.
Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, says the mayor means to send mixed messages and just “wants to have a little fun.” Oh, you billionaire playboys and your fun. Who doesn’t “toy” with the idea of running a free nation every once and a while?
So, will he or won’t he? The answer is… question mark. It looks like Bloomberg is happy dragging out the drama for as long as possible. The suspense is more palpable than the back-and-forth romance between Ross and Rachel on TV’s ”Friends.” Stay tuned.
Five Green Party presidential candidates, including every voter’s favorite presidential election ruin-er Ralph Nader and former Democratic party congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, will be trying to be the candidate to siphon undecided votes in November by getting on the the ballot in the California Green Party’s primary on “Super Tuesday” Feb. 5.
A party spokesperson today said it is the most competitive race for President in the history of the Green Party. Somewhere in the world John McCain is giving out high-fives.
Almost one-third of the Green Party delegate will be determinedon February 5 between Illinois, Massachusetts, Arkansas and California–the most significant of the Green primaries.
California has 168 of the 836 delegates (over 20%) that will nominate the Green Party nominee on July 13 in Chicago makes California pretty critical to both Nader and McKinney in securing the Green Party nomination.”
Also crowding joining the race are:
Jesse Johnson, a filmmaker and 2006 Senate and 2004 gubernatorial candidate for the West Virginia Mountain Party.
Kent Mesplay, a biomedical engineer who sought the Green Party presidential nomination in 2004.
Kat Swift, the Texas State Party Co-chair, progressive activist and newspaper credit manager.
They look like a colorful bunch. And according to California Green Party spokeswoman Susan King these candidates will provide a much needed “real choice” at the polls. You know, because there have been so few candidates throwing their hat in the ring this year.
This promises to be the most competitive presidential primary on record for the Green Party of California. And it comes at a time in our state and nation’s history when voters need a real choice at the polls, and an opportunity to elect a President who will make a difference by ending the war in Iraq now, protecting our planet now and providing universal, single-payer health care for all.”
All very unique ideas that NO candidate currently in the presidential race has mentioned yet… Time will tell if “going green” will pollute the democratic effort later.
Bloomberg called for a major national investment in public works projects during his latest news conference with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell in South Central Los Angeles on Saturday. The visit is the third time in the past six months that Bloomberg has traveled to California, which “at 55 has the largest number of electoral votes.”
On Friday, the mayor met privately in Austin, Texas, with noted ballot-access expert Clayton Mulford, who ran Ross Perot’s two independent bids for president, after a public appearance with seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong and former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona to discuss health care. Texas, which has some of the toughest rules for getting on the ballot as a third-party candidate, is second only to California with 34 electoral votes.
Bloomberg is staying mum so maybe we should consider all his non-preparation mere curiosity about what it takes to get on the ballot in November. Meanwhile, a source close to the mayor told CNN, “Bloomberg will decide by early March whether he will pursue an independent bid for the White House.”
The race for president is not official to me without third party candidates buzzing around the chosen Republican and Democratic party candidates once the primaries are over. They provide a little more color to the campaign trail when red and blue starts getting stale.
Fortunately for everyone–or unfortunately for major party candidates–Ralph Nader might be making another bid for the White House. The consumer advocate has run in the past four presidential elections. He is most notoriously known by critics as the man who sucked away enough votes from then Democratic Vice President Al Gore in the 2000 campaign to help George W. Bush win the White House. Fast forward eight years and we all know how that story ends.
Nader, 73, told a Montreal radio show that he will “decide in about a month” whether he will throw his hat in the ring. Who is ready for another three-ring circus and thinks Nader should enter the race? I thought so. I’ll bring the popcorn.
