Nader Qualifies for Presidential Run in Arizona

Nader Qualifies for Presidential Run in Arizona
Fri Jun 11, 2:54 PM ET

FROM: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=615&ncid=696&e=4&u=/nm/20040611/pl_nm/campaign_nader_dc
PHOENIX (Reuters) - Arizona, considered a swing state in the upcoming presidential election, could be the first in the nation to put independent candidate Ralph Nader (news - web sites) on its Nov. 2 election ballot, officials said on Friday.

State election officials have received petitions with 21,185 signatures, nearly 6,500 more than required for his name to appear on the ballot and opponents only have 10 days to challenge the signatures.

"We're running a 50-state campaign," said Kevin Zeese, Nader's national campaign spokesman. "We're not shying away from any battleground states like Arizona."

State Democrats have vowed to launch a stiff challenge to keep Nader off the Arizona ballot, fearing that the consumer advocate would siphon votes away from Democratic Party hopeful John Kerry (news - web sites) and help tilt the election to Republican President Bush (news - web sites).

Nader, then a Green Party candidate, claimed 3 percent of the state's vote in the 2000 presidential election. Bush won the state by 6 percentage points over Democrat Al Gore (news - web sites).

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