Gore brings Nader into the spotlight

It is less than two weeks from election day. The presidential race is in a dead heat — the closest in a generation. Bush and Gore both are struggling to pick up electoral votes, while the races for the big prizes, like Florida and California, get more competitive every day.

Enter Ralph Nader '55.

The last time Vice President Al Gore faced real trouble was January when in snow-covered New Hampshire, he fought for political survival against Bill Bradley '65. Now, just days from Nov. 7, Gore is haunted by another Princeton graduate — and just as with Bradley, the vice president is on the attack.

Concerned that Nader's popularity in states like Washington, Wisconsin and even California, might help Texas Gov. George W. Bush's cause, Gore has rallied the forces of the Democratic party to wage a fast, sweeping war on Nader's Green Party campaign.

The Democrats are hoping to steal back the few percentage points that might put Gore over the top in several key states.

"They're pulling a lot of dirty tricks," Nader campaign spokeswoman Stacy Malkan said, adding that she believes Gore should focus on his Republican adversary instead of the Green Party candidate.

The New York Times reported Wednesday that the Democrats had enlisted the League of Conservation Voters, the Service Employees International Union and other traditionally Democrat groups to help bring liberal voters back to Gore.

In addition, prominent liberal figures have begun to campaign on Gore's behalf, including Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone, Rev. Jesse Jackson, feminist Gloria Steinem and actor Robert Redford.

While for months the Gore campaign has tried to ignore Nader — much as it tried to ignore Bradley's primary campaign — Gore's increased interest in the Green Party campaign has brought Nader onto the national media radar screen.

"It certainly puts us in the press a lot more," Malkan said. But she said Nader's campaign is not worried that the accompanying anti-Nader onslaught from the Gore campaign will steal voters from the Greens.

"We're confident that our supporters won't be swayed," she said.

Malkan also said she does not care if Nader is taking votes from Gore might help Bush win the election.

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"That's really not our concern," she said, explaining that only part of Nader's supporters come directly from the Gore camp. "Not all of our support is coming from the Democrats. About half of our support is coming from Independents."

If the Nader campaign gets more than five percent of the popular vote, the Green Party will be eligible for federal campaign funds in 2004.

In the latest Washington Post/ABCNews tracking poll, released Wednesday, Bush leads Gore by a 47-to-45 percent margin, but the national polls do not report the contest for electoral votes. Gore may be at risk of losing several states Democrats have won in the past and that he needs to win the election. And it is in some of these states that Nader poses the greatest threat.