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Ralph Nader may have to get past the Florida Democratic Party if he wants a spot on Florida's presidential ballot.
State Democratic Chairman Scott Maddox said he expects to mount a legal challenge unless Nader "dots every i and crosses every t" in his ballot submissions.
"No question about it," Maddox said Tuesday. "We're going to make sure he follows the letter of the law."
In a state where Nader won more than 97,000 votes in 2000 and Al Gore lost by 537, Democrats are especially antagonistic to the independent presidential candidate. Nader backers acknowledge that the vagaries of Florida election laws could give Democrats a legal opening to block him from easy access to the ballot.
The Nader campaign has decided against trying to run in Florida without party affiliation because that would require obtaining more than 93,000 signatures by mid July. The campaign is instead considering running Nader as a Reform Party candidate or creating a new minor party called the Populist Party.
"The question is how we'll be on the (Florida) ballot, not if we'll be on," said Nader spokesman Kevin Zeese.
The simpler option is running as a Reform Party candidate, but there could be a legal hitch. Florida law requires the candidates of minor parties to be affiliated "with a national party holding a national convention." Rather than gathering for a convention as they have in the past, Reform Party leaders in May endorsed Nader in a conference call.
"What I foresee is the Democrats dragging Nader into court and trying to tie it all up," said Ruben Hernandez of Oldsmar, chairman of the Florida Reform Party.
Nader has until September to secure a spot on the Florida ballot, and Hernandez said Reform Party officials are working on organizing a national convention in late August "just in case there is a problem."
Nader, who has raised about $1-million, has not made it onto any ballot so far and has faced a series of obstacles. Arizona Democrats have filed suit challenging the petition signatures Nader supporters submitted. Another challenge is pending in Illinois.
The national Green Party, which could have helped him win ballot access in 22 states including Florida, on Saturday voted against endorsing Nader.
Green members nominated lawyer David Cobb, who promises a "safe state strategy" where he won't campaign in any closely contested battleground state. Nader ran as a Green Party candidate in 2000, and many Democrats and former Nader backers believe he cost Al Gore the presidency by pulling enough progressive voters from Gore to swing Florida and New Hampshire to George W. Bush.
Maddox fears the same thing could happen this year. He noted a June 23-27 poll by Quinnipiac University Polling Institute of Connecticut that showed President Bush and John Kerry each pulling 43 percent support in Florida, and Nader receiving 5 percent.
"This election is going to be so close he could potentially be a spoiler with a very small margin," Maddox said.
- Adam C. Smith can be reached at 727 893-8241 or adam@sptimes.com