Jennifer Joan Wilner

 

Jennifer Joan Wilner, November 11, 1970 (Washington, D.C.) -

VP candidate for Independent Democrat (1992)

Running mate with nominee: Russell Minos Baptiste Hirshon (b. 1961)
Popular vote: ? (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

Russell Hirshon, a performance artist and bartender in the region of the nation's capital, began his perennial candidacy for DC Mayor and/or US President with instant press coverage. His method of electioneering was to perform flamboyant visual stunts to attract attention. In 1990 he paraded around Washington, D.C. with a flag wrapped around his waist while carrying a chain saw apparently making an environmental statement regarding old growth forests. In another caper he was suspended from a ceiling with live fish and in yet another he was a giant ice cream sundae.

For the 1992 national election he formed the Committee to Put Russell Hirshon in the Big House. His motive? "I want people to vote, to participate. If they don't vote, I might win. Maybe that'll scare them." A poster with Hirshon adorned in a loud suit and standing in a cornfield declared, "Not all presidential candidates are crazy. Just one. Russell Hirshon for President 1992."

In a Jan. 1992 report, Hirshon told the press, "You get looked upon as if you're kind of crazy. Now I'm one of the people I used to laugh at." The candidate managed to put together at least a couple 30-second TV spots that aired on local cable access. The ads included a shot of him sitting on a toilet in public, and he gave out his personal telephone number if voters wanted to ask questions.

Hirshon enjoyed some unplanned publicity in Jan. 1992 when the Bill Clinton campaign held a fund-raising event at the restaurant where he worked. Clinton's people asked that Hirshon not be present at that time. Hirshon responded, "I'm more than capable of being crazy but it's not like I'm a complete psycho."

In 1996 Hirshon filed as an Independent with the FEC under the banner of "Russell Hirshon's Committee of Thugs." He proposed settling the Bosnian wars by holding a huge party with a large open bar. In addition he promised to "blow up the Energizer bunny once and for all." In 2016 he again filed as an Independent using the organization name "Russell Hirshon's Committee to Save America" and used the slogan "Make America Sane Again."

Hirshon's website indicated he was also running for President in 2000 and 2004.

In 2016 his campaign website included this autobiography--

I still believe in a place called hopeful

Russell Hirshon is a Performance Artist/politician who feels the most important aspect of this campaign is making a least one good thing happen from all of the insanity. With two candidates who are as different as possible, we don’t need the kind of money that has been spent to determine who to vote for. Instead we should donate to charitable organizations rather than political campaigns.

As a registered Independent candidate for President, Russell’s mission is to ask as many people as possible to give to a better cause. This means asking ourselves how we can all give to make our world a better place and it starts with us.

A History of Insanity

They say great leaders are born but I beg to differ.  I believe great leaders come from a massive ego coupled with an insatiable demand for attention, acceptance and power. Oh, there is the rare occasion where someone is actually dedicated to hope and change but it is rare and fleeting as the other megalomaniacals manage to arrest any dreamers hope.

Russell Hirshon is the least qualified individual for President.

That being said here are some things to consider:

    Russell does not want your vote
    Russell does not want your money
    Russell Hirshon likes to ride his bike whenever possible and enjoys the wind blowing in his face.
    Russell believes that all Americans should get a Master’s Degree from the School of Hard Knocks.
    Russell is waiting for an interview with Megyn Kelly, preferably at a nice restaurant and where Fox picks up the tab
    Russell likes Pina Coladas.

In all of Hirshon's campaigning throughout the years the only evidence I found thus far of any Vice-Presidential nominee is from a photo published in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Aug. 19, 1992. On the grounds outside the Republican convention in Houston, Hirshon is pictured sitting on a toilet, wearing a patriotic clown suit and reading the National Review. The caption includes: "Running mate Jennifer Wilner is in the background."

Wilner was actually identified as Hirshon's campaign manager in other sources. In the 2016 campaign she was called the campaign's press secretary. A mock investigative 2016 report was posted by Hirshon on Youtube, "Our campaign was rocked by allegations of a possible relationship between the candidate and his press secretary earlier today as an ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) reporter slips in the 'gotcha' question to our press secretary, Jennifer Wilner. Luckily the interview was abruptly stopped and the reporter escorted out of our campaign office. Our statement at this time is the following:  'We are not aware that anything improper has occurred at this time between Russell Hirshon and the press secretary and as far as we know, no text messages exist to indicate the contrary.'"

In 1992 both Hirshon and Wilner were under the Constitutionally mandated age of 35 to hold office.

Election history: none

Other occupations: communications and public relations

Notes:
Hirshon also ran for Mayor of Washington, D.C. in 1990 and 1994. One of his posters read: "If you want to get screwed, elect a politician. If you want to get served, elect a bartender."
It would seem Jennifer Wilner is aka Jen Hirshon.

William Thomas Riker

 

William Thomas Riker, September 28, 1987 (Hollywood, Calif.) -

VP candidate for Independent (1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024)

Running mate with nominee (1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024): Jean-Luc Picard (b. 1987)
Popular vote (1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020): ? (0.00%)
Electoral vote (1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020): 0/538

The campaign (1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024):

Star Trek: The Next Generation, a 1987-1994 spinoff from the original Star Trek television series from the 1960s, defined their purpose as, "Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before."

The Trek franchise is huge and it seems only naturally American for the lead characters to be, in this age where entertainment and politics are so intermingled, merchandised as Presidential timber. Heck, when the show first aired the President at the time was a former movie and TV actor.

The Enterprise skipper, Jean-Luc Picard (portrayed by Patrick Stewart) and his first officer Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) have been marketed as a Presidential ticket in every election since 1992. They probably ran in 1988 as well but I didn't find a confirmation of that. Bumper stickers, t-shirts, buttons, coffee mugs, etc. abound every four years with a "Picard/Riker" declaration.

"Jean-Luc Picard" filed with the FEC on Aug. 20, 2015 with no party affiliation. His address was given as 877 Enterprise St., Buchanan, MI 49107 and the campaign committee was United Federation of Planets, 150 Galaxy Rd., Shirley, AR 72153.

The Next Generation not only explored space, but the writers broached a number of political and social subjects that were fairly progressive at the time. Intelligence, reason, tolerance, curiosity, and humanity were seen as virtues. The assumption was that not only would we survive ourselves, but a far better, almost utopian age awaited us.

In the event of their electoral victory there would be several problems. They are fictitious characters. They live in the future (Picard was born in the year 2305). Although Riker was born in Alaska, Picard is from France. They reside in outer space. The characters were created in 1987, which made them below the age of 35 but in 2024 they will be legal in this regard. And so forth.

Election history: none

Other occupations: fictional character

Notes:
Riker is a contender for holding the record for number of times someone has made a Vice-Presidential run.

Leroy John Pletten

Leroy John Pletten, November 29, 1946 (Tyler, Minn.) - April 23, 2015 (Tracy, Minn.)

VP candidate for Prohibition Party (aka Concerns of People) (2004)
VP candidate for Prohibition Party (2008)

Running mate with nominee (2004, 2008): Gene C. Amondson (1943-2009)
Popular vote (2004): 1,944 (0.00%)
Popular vote (2008): 655 (0.00%)
Electoral vote (2004, 2008): 0/538

The campaign (2004):

2004 was one of the more interesting election years for the Prohibition Party. It all came down to personality as the Party experienced a serious public schism that was a long time coming. Some of the details and exact sequence of events have differing and conflicting accounts, so I will tread carefully here.

The figure at the center of the controversy was Earl Dodge. He had been the Party's VP nominee in 1976 and 1980, and the Presidential nominee since 1984. Whether Dodge had kept the flame barely alive when it otherwise would have been extinguished, or ran the Party into the ground with the worst showing in their entire history in 2000 through self-serving behavior will forever be a topic of debate. In that year he barely overcame a challenge for the nomination.

In addition to being a lackluster vote-getter, Dodge was accused of running a nontransparent, secret personality-driven operation and, according to one news report of "inadequate accounting and even thievery."

In the summer of 2003, the timing being the traditional quadrennial time the Prohibition Party meets to nominate their national candidates, Dodge held what today's official Party webpage calls "A private, invitational conference of (some) Prohibition National Committeemen" held in Dodge's living room in Denver. Media reports said only 8 or 9 people were present, including Dodge and two of his daughters.

The running-mate selected was Texas attorney Howard Lydick, a 73-year old heart transplant recipient and lifelong Republican until he joined the Prohibition Party in 1995.

The reformers in the Party rejected the Dodge nomination and when they subsequently met in Fairfield Glade, Tenn. they considered themselves the true and official deal and the Dodge faction to be invalid. They nominated Gene C. Amondson for President with Leroy John Pletten of Michigan as the VP. Some accounts say they attempted to pacify Dodge by awarding him with a "chairman emeritus" title and offering to make Lydick the official running-mate. But it didn't take. Lydick proved himself to be solidly in the Loyalist faction when he said he would not run with anyone but Dodge.

Dodge himself dismissed the Reformer faction, "It's not a split from our party. It's just a couple of people. Sort of like a flea on an elephant that's trying to use our name to get some attention." He also said the publicity garnered by the internal conflict generated more attention  than usual for the Party and he deemed that a positive thing.

Amondson was an evangelical preacher and anti-alcohol activist who was a product of rural (Washington State trivia alert!!!) Lewis County, Wash. I talked with him in a lively telephone interview in May, 2007 -- https://thirdpartysecondbananas.blogspot.com/2019/05/loggers-dont-mind-good-fight-gene.html -- and as I pointed out in the resulting article:

He is probably the only person running for President who dresses up as the Grim Reaper to make a political point, whether it is picketing a winery or just walking in front of bars with a bottle in hand asking tavern customers, “Still drinkin’ this stuff?”

Amondson also had something of a career giving presentations as he impersonated the famous preacher Billy Sunday. He seemed to be a controversial character on affluent Vashon Island and one his neighbors told me he was considered by locals to be totally crazy. But boring he wasn't.

Pletten was regarded by the press and by some in his own party, as an opinionated "hairsplitter" with a low tolerance for ambiguity but essentially a decent person. He had once been a whistleblower while a civilian employee of the US Army which was said to have ended his career there. In addition to opposing alcohol he was also an activist against tobacco use. He was rapidly anti-Dodge. In talking with Amondson I had the impression he felt some empathy for Dodge's "sad situation," but Pletten's published remarks were in the warrior category.

Although not an attorney, Pletten's legal experience helped the Reform faction when they contested the Party funds with Dodge. Pletten's previous whistleblower complaint and resulting retaliation went all the way to the US Supreme Court years earlier (No. 90-5961, IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES OCTOBER TERM, 1990, LEROY J. PLETTEN, PETITIONER vs. MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, and JOHN O. MARSH, JR., Secretary, Department of the Army, RESPONDENTS). Interesting to note his complaint involved workplace air quality, specifically the hazards to nonsmokers by secondhand tobacco smoke.

Turns out Pletten was really ahead of his time regarding tobacco in the workplace. In my 2007 interview with Amondson I reported:

He is pleased to see smoking has become less and less socially acceptable. “We need to look at drinking as dumb as smoking,” and is disappointed at the right wing for dropping the ball on the smoking issue. “It should have been the Christians, the Republicans, but it was the Democrats” who cracked down on tobacco, he says with disgust. One is left with the impression he is attempting to shame his fellow conservatives into joining the fight rather than reach out to moderate voters.

Of the 16 national tickets that had ballot access in 2004, the Dodge/Lydick duo placed 16th. They also finished last in the only state where they appeared as an option, in Dodge's Colorado with 0.01% of the popular vote. The Amondson/Pletten ticket, under the Concerns of People banner, were also on the Colorado ballot, where they finished with more than twice the popular vote than Dodge/Lydick. From the Reformer faction point of view, the Colorado results vindicated their effort and they felt the issue of who comprised the real Prohibition Party was settled.

Amondson/Pletten finished with 0.08% of the vote in Louisiana, 0.02% in Colorado.

Amondson indicated several times in the campaign he might vote for George W. Bush.

The campaign (2008):

The Dodge/(and now bearded) Lydick team were gearing up for the 2008 election, having formed their ticket in June, 2007. The Amondson/Pletten campaign solidified shortly after, and the stage was set for another Loyalist faction vs. Reformer faction election battle with the same personalities. As an aside, Amondson told one reporter his first choice for a running-mate in 2008 was Newt Gingrich but it seems he never took steps to make that happen.

On the morning of Nov. 7, 2007 Dodge suddenly dropped dead at the age of 74 in the airport in Denver while waiting to board a flight to Pennsylvania in order to attend a button show.

Rather than fill the void left by Dodge and assume the Presidential nomination, the 77-year old Lydick made an effort for reconciliation. "We want to heal the division," he said, "Amondson is acceptable to me, and he has a long history in the temperance movement." Even though Pletten had already been tagged as Amondson's 2008 running-mate, Lydick apparently offered to take his place.

Some in the Party were wary. According to a Mar. 2008 news piece by Raphael Ahren:

But the reconciliation may not happen if Lydick insists on running. Before Dodge’s death, Amondson’s 2004 running mate, Leroy Pletten, had been nominated to run with him once more in 2008. And he still intends to do so. Pletten strongly opposes Lydick and the Dodge faction, calling them “crooks and liars” and speaking bluntly about the prospects of reconciliation: “That’s what Hitler always said, that he wants peace.”

According to one secondary source (thegreenpapers.com) Lydick was named as Amondson's running-mate for a ballot access attempt in Nevada. It is possible this effort was spearheaded by what remained of the Dodge faction. An Amondson/Lydick button was even produced.

As a point of trivia, Amondson all but endorsed Sen. McCain during the campaign.

The Amondson/Pletten ticket were on the ballot in three states with the result being: Louisiana 275 (0.01%), Florida 293 (0.00%), and Colorado 85 (0.00%)

In the event of an Amondson/Pletten victory, Pletten would have ascended to the Presidency upon the death of Amondson, July 20, 2009.

Election history:
2003 - School Board of Utica District in Macomb County (Mich.) (Nonpartisan) - defeated

Other occupations: personnel management specialist (civilian employee) of the U.S. Tank Automotive Command, tax advisor, President of the Andover Heights Condominium Association.

Buried: Tracy Community Cemetery (Tracy, Minn.) "Inurnment will be at a later date since he chose to donate his body to the University of Minnesota Medical and Science Department in hopes of helping future generations through medical research."--Obituary

Notes:
Died at age of 68 of "liver toxicity due to an allergic reaction to dietary supplements on Thursday,
 April 23, 2015."

Howard Leroy Lydick

 Lydick is called "Watson" here. Not a good omen

Howard Leroy Lydick, September 2, 1929 (Anthony, Kan.) - August 5, 2008 (Richardson, Tex.)

VP candidate for Prohibition Party (2004)
VP candidate for Prohibition Party (aka National Prohibition Party) (2008)

Running mate with nominee (2004, 2008): Earl F. Dodge (1932-2007)
Running mate with nominee (2008): Gene C. Amondson (1943-2009)
Popular vote (2004): 140 (0.00%)
Popular vote (2008): 0 (0.00%)
Electoral vote (2004, 2008): 0/538

The campaign (2004):

2004 was one of the more interesting election years for the Prohibition Party. It all came down to personality as the Party experienced a serious public schism that was a long time coming. Some of the details and exact sequence of events have differing and conflicting accounts, so I will tread carefully here.

The figure at the center of the controversy was Earl Dodge. He had been the Party's VP nominee in 1976 and 1980, and the Presidential nominee since 1984. Whether Dodge had kept the flame barely alive when it otherwise would have been extinguished, or ran the Party into the ground with the worst showing in their entire history in 2000 through self-serving behavior will forever be a topic of debate. In that year he barely overcame a challenge for the nomination.

In addition to being a lackluster vote-getter, Dodge was accused of running a nontransparent, secret personality-driven operation and, according to one news report of "inadequate accounting and even thievery."

In the summer of 2003, the timing being the traditional quadrennial time the Prohibition Party meets to nominate their national candidates, Dodge held what today's official Party webpage calls "A private, invitational conference of (some) Prohibition National Committeemen" held in Dodge's living room in Denver. Media reports said only 8 or 9 people were present, including Dodge and two of his daughters.

The running-mate selected was Texas attorney Howard Lydick, a 73-year old heart transplant recipient and lifelong Republican until he joined the Prohibition Party in 1995.

The reformers in the Party rejected the Dodge nomination and when they subsequently met in Fairfield Glade, Tenn. they considered themselves the true and official deal and the Dodge faction to be invalid. They nominated Gene C. Amondson for President with Leroy John Pletten of Michigan as the VP. Some accounts say they attempted to pacify Dodge by awarding him with a "chairman emeritus" title and offering to make Lydick the official running-mate. But it didn't take. Lydick proved himself to be solidly in the Loyalist faction when he said he would not run with anyone but Dodge.

Dodge himself dismissed the Reformer faction, "It's not a split from our party. It's just a couple of people. Sort of like a flea on an elephant that's trying to use our name to get some attention." He also said the publicity garnered by the internal conflict generated more attention  than usual for the Party and he deemed that a positive thing.

Of the 16 national tickets that had ballot access in 2004, the Dodge/Lydick duo placed 16th. They also finished last in the only state where they appeared as an option, in Dodge's Colorado with 0.01% of the popular vote. The Amondson/Pletten ticket, under the Concerns of People banner, were also on the Colorado ballot, where they finished with more than twice the popular vote than Dodge/Lydick. From the Reformer faction point of view, the Colorado results vindicated their effort and they felt the issue of who comprised the real Prohibition Party was settled.

If the Dodge/Lydick ticket had emerged victorious in 2004, Lydick would have elevated to the Presidency upon the death of Dodge Nov. 7, 2007. And Lydick himself died Aug. 5, 2008, meaning the USA would have had an unelected President for the remainder of the term, like it did with President Ford 1973-1977.

The campaign (2008):

The Dodge/(and now bearded) Lydick team were gearing up for the 2008 election, having formed their ticket in June, 2007. The Amondson/Pletten campaign solidified shortly after, and the stage was set for another Loyalist faction vs. Reformer faction election battle with the same personalities.

On the morning of Nov. 7, 2007 Dodge suddenly dropped dead at the age of 74 in the airport in Denver while waiting to board a flight to Pennsylvania in order to attend a button show.

Rather than fill the void left by Dodge and assume the Presidential nomination, the 77-year old Lydick made an effort for reconciliation. "We want to heal the division," he said, "Amondson is acceptable to me, and he has a long history in the temperance movement." Even though Pletten had already been tagged as Amondson's 2008 running-mate, Lydick apparently offered to take his place.

Some in the Party were wary. According to a Mar. 2008 news piece by Raphael Ahren:

But the reconciliation may not happen if Lydick insists on running. Before Dodge’s death, Amondson’s 2004 running mate, Leroy Pletten, had been nominated to run with him once more in 2008. And he still intends to do so. Pletten strongly opposes Lydick and the Dodge faction, calling them “crooks and liars” and speaking bluntly about the prospects of reconciliation: “That’s what Hitler always said, that he wants peace.”

According to one secondary source (thegreenpapers.com) Lydick was named as Amondson's running-mate for a ballot access attempt in Nevada. It is possible this effort was spearheaded by what remained of the Dodge faction. An Amondson/Lydick button was even produced.

Mr. Lydick died on Aug. 5, 2008, marking one of the few times in US history where both Presidential and VP nominees of the same ticket did not survive between the nomination and Election Day.

Election history: none

Other occupations: US Army (Occupied Germany), insurance adjuster, attorney, President of the National Temperance and Prohibition Council, Chairman of the Independent Committee on Alcohol and Drugs for the United Methodist Church

Buried: Restland Memorial Park (Dallas, Tex.)

Notes:
Buried in the same cemetery as Tom C. Clark, Patrick Cranshaw, and Ray Price.

Sandra E. Kucera

Sandra E. Kucera, b. ca1949

VP candidate for Independent (2004)

Running mate with nominee: Ralph Nader (b. 1934)
Popular vote: ? (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

Expressing a desire to not become beholden to the platform of any party, Ralph Nader announced he was running for President in 2004 as an independent. Yet he also sought the endorsement (rather than the nomination) of several already established third parties as a way to more easily acquire ballot access. The Reform Party, Independent Party of Delaware, and Independence Party did just that, making him their de facto nominee. Some parties were simply invented as a 2004 one-shot deal due to local requirements. For example, Nader ran in Alaska, Arkansas, and Maryland under the Populist Party name, apparently unconcerned of the legacy of white nationalist policies connected with the recent party of that name 1984-1996 and still a fresh memory.

Although Nader never joined the Green Party, it was under their banner that he was perceived, perhaps unfairly, as being the spoiler in the 2000 election and handing the White House to George W. Bush especially in Florida. The Green Party had some significant differences of opinion within their ranks on how to proceed in 2004. Generally speaking there were three factions at play here.

The first group desired to endorse Ralph Nader's independent run. Nader himself had announced in Dec. 2003 he would not seek the Green nomination, but later he realized the Party's endorsement would come in handy in terms of ballot access although he had no intention of joining the Greens himself. The pro-Nader faction was energized when a week before the Green convention Nader had selected GP activist Peter Camejo as his running-mate. Camejo in fact had won the most popular votes in the Green Party primaries for President.

The second group wanted to run a campaign with a "pure" Green candidate (David Cobb was the frontrunner) rather than ride on the star power of a political celebrity who was not necessarily in line with the Party platform. Cobb, a California attorney and Party activist, had worked hard to gain the nomination as he electioneered across the country gathering delegates.

The third group promoted the idea of sitting out the 2004 Presidential contest and instead concentrate on elections at the grassroots local level. A leaflet from this faction at the convention included, "Choosing No Candidate will allow Greens to build strength at the grassroots, avoiding a punishing national media fight we cannot win ... Our best route to national influence is building local power."

On June 26, 2004 Cobb won the nomination on the second ballot. He named Pat LaMarche, a Green Party activist in Maine, as his running-mate.

Unlike Nader/Camejo the Cobb/LeMarche ticket adopted a "safe state" strategy of not campaigning hard in swing states where they thought they could possibly tip the scales in favor of Bush. Cobb rationalized, "In California, Cobb-LaMarche's message is going to be, 'Progressives, don't waste your vote.' Because if a progressive casts a vote for the corporate militarist John Kerry in California, it does not help to unelect Bush, and you can only send a message that you actually support policies that you don't. That's a wasted vote. Simple message: progressives, don't waste your vote. In the other states where it's very much closer, we have the same, in-depth, scathing critique of both the Democratic and Republican parties, and then conclude with, 'but think carefully before you cast your vote.' You know, that is completely respecting the voter, and it is really challenging those voters to think about why we have a system where I have to vote against what I hate, rather than support what I want."

LaMarche suggested she just might pull the level for the Democrat on Election Day, "If the race is tight, I'll vote for Kerry."

A swath of the Left felt the Greens were capitulating to the Democrats far too much. The Vermont Green Party broke ranks and endorsed Nader/Camejo. Other Greens appeared to migrate to the Socialists in 2004, giving them a larger popular vote than usual.

Due to Oregon's Byzantine ballot access requirements for independents, Camejo had to be substituted with a stand-in who was supplied in the person of Beaverton resident Sandra E. Kucera. Both of the major parties were up to mischief here with the Democrats doing what they could to prevent Nader from being an option and the Republicans showing up at pro-Nader nominating conventions of the campaign to gain signatures and increase head counts.

Kucera was a legal assistant to Nader's Oregon campaign manager, attorney Greg Kafoury. Although in the end she never saw her name on the ballot, or even as a registered write-in, she is immortalized under the case title Kucera v Bradbury where the higher courts sided with the Oregon Secretary of State (a Democrat) in his interpretation of the law and ultimate rejection of allowing Nader on the ballot.
 
In the four years since Nader last ran 9/11 had happened and the Bush administration was wrapping up their first term. Although President Bush called himself a uniter, not a divider, his economic policy, military initiatives, and interpretation of civil liberties under the Constitution seemed to widening the polarization of the country. Many in the Progressive side were willing to overlook Sen. Kerry's centrism and spent not a small amount of energy attempting to get Nader out of the race or off the ballots.

In one the most famous incidents in the 2004 campaign Bill Maher and Michael Moore got down on their knees and begged Nader on the Real Time television program on July 31, 2004 to drop out of the race.

There were others who agreed--

Keeping the Bush circle out means holding one's nose and voting for some Democrat. ... In a very powerful state, small differences may translate into very substantial effects on the victims, at home and abroad. It is no favor to those who are suffering, and may face much worse ahead, to overlook these facts.
–Noam Chomsky

I am going to run around this country and do everything I can to dissuade people from voting for Ralph Nader. ... this election will come down to a relatively few votes. ... I consider four more years of Bush a potential horror show for this country.
–Bernie Sanders

If Kerry is elected, we'll have a little ledge to stand on.
–Howard Zinn

Last time around, Nader attracted the support of a stellar list of left-leaning celebrities; Phil Donahue, Susan Sarandon, Michael Moore, Paul Newman, Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Eddie Vedder, and Ani DiFranco were all Naderites. That won't be the case this year.
-Mother Jones Magazine

A number of anti-Nader websites from the Progressive community sprang up: The Nader Factor, United Progressives for Victory, Vote2StopBush.org,  Dear Ralph, StopNader.com, Ralph Don't Run, Repentant Nader Voter PAC, Nader Watch Blog, Don't Vote Ralph, Ralph-Nader.info, Damned Big Difference, and Greens for Kerry (Change In '04).

"It's an ego-fueled Trojan Horse for the right wing," said Bob Gammage of StopNader.org, "The Republicans perceive (the Nader campaign) the same way we do: A vote for Nader is a vote for Bush. They're hoping ... they can confuse enough people to take the election away from Kerry."

Nader met with the Congressional Black Caucus in June. It did not go well. The CBC had asked Nader to drop out of the election and by the end there were raised voices, Nader was told by one member of Congress to "get your ass out" of the meeting, and Rep. Melvin Watt said the candidate was "just another arrogant white man, telling us what we can do. It's all about your ego, another [expletive] arrogant white man." Nader later demanded an apology for the language used in the meeting but never got it.

Some of the other attendees had choice words as well:
"He ain't playing with a full deck"--Rep. James Clyburn
"I don’t think he gets it ... The meeting was about strategy and the pragmatic planning to defeat Bush ... We told him how at strategic level, his candidacy defeats a common a goal ... We were particularly offended by Nader's exhibitionism, his selfishness and egotism"--Rep. Albert Wynn
"If he didn't understand what the meeting was about, not only is he an egotistical maniac, he's dumber than I thought he was"--Rep. Gregory Meeks

There was evidence the Republicans and far-Right groups were doing what they could to help Nader along, which was an unsurprising and old political practice by political parties helping the enemy of their enemy dating back to the early 1800s in US politics.

But as it was Nader's 2004 showing was faint compared to 2000. Rather than setting the foundation for a new progressive party, he was starting to be perceived by many as a perennial candidate for a personality-driven movement.

Nader was on the ballot in 35 states + DC and a registered write-in in 12 states finishing third nationally with 465,642 votes (0.38%). Of those, the Nader/Camejo ticket was on the ballot in 32 states + DC and certified write-ins in half a dozen more. In New York, Nader was on two different ballot lines, each with a different running-mate (with Camejo in the Peace and Justice Party, with Jan D. Pierce in the Independence Party). Pierce was also on the ballot with Nader in Alabama. Documents suggest Pierce would have also been on the ballot in Illinois, Ohio and Arizona as the VP if Nader had prevailed and been made a printed option for voters in those states, but that did not come to pass. Karen Sanchirico was the running-mate in Montana. Nader had no VP at all in 6 write-in slots.

The Nader/Kucera ticket no doubt were among the "scattered" write-ins reported in Oregon, but the results were not detailed since the team was uncertified.

After the election my friend and shirttail relative Robert C. "Bob" Bailey, who had once been one of the most powerful Democrats in Washington State, said he was not surprised at the re-election of George W. Bush. "Voters don't like to change Presidents in wartime, no matter how bad they are," was his view.

Election history: none

Other occupations: legal assistant

Notes:
Washington trivia alert!!! It is possible Kucera lived in Olympia, Wash. at the the same time I was a
 resident there. It is sort of surprising how common the name "Sandra Kucera" is, making it difficult
 to ascertain which one is which, so she is something of a mystery candidate.

Karen Andrea Sanchirico

Karen Andrea Sanchirico, August 28, 1967 (New York) -

VP candidate for Independent (2004)

Running mate with nominee: Ralph Nader (b. 1934)
Popular vote: 6,168 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

Expressing a desire to not become beholden to the platform of any party, Ralph Nader announced he was running for President in 2004 as an independent. Yet he also sought the endorsement (rather than the nomination) of several already established third parties as a way to more easily acquire ballot access. The Reform Party, Independent Party of Delaware, and Independence Party did just that, making him their de facto nominee. Some parties were simply invented as a 2004 one-shot deal due to local requirements. For example, Nader ran in Alaska, Arkansas, and Maryland under the Populist Party name, apparently unconcerned of the legacy of white nationalist policies connected with the recent party of that name 1984-1996 and still a fresh memory.

Although Nader never joined the Green Party, it was under their banner that he was perceived, perhaps unfairly, as being the spoiler in the 2000 election and handing the White House to George W. Bush especially in Florida. The Green Party had some significant differences of opinion within their ranks on how to proceed in 2004. Generally speaking there were three factions at play here.

The first group desired to endorse Ralph Nader's independent run. Nader himself had announced in Dec. 2003 he would not seek the Green nomination, but later he realized the Party's endorsement would come in handy in terms of ballot access although he had no intention of joining the Greens himself. The pro-Nader faction was energized when a week before the Green convention Nader had selected GP activist Peter Camejo as his running-mate. Camejo in fact had won the most popular votes in the Green Party primaries for President.

The second group wanted to run a campaign with a "pure" Green candidate (David Cobb was the frontrunner) rather than ride on the star power of a political celebrity who was not necessarily in line with the Party platform. Cobb, a California attorney and Party activist, had worked hard to gain the nomination as he electioneered across the country gathering delegates.

The third group promoted the idea of sitting out the 2004 Presidential contest and instead concentrate on elections at the grassroots local level. A leaflet from this faction at the convention included, "Choosing No Candidate will allow Greens to build strength at the grassroots, avoiding a punishing national media fight we cannot win ... Our best route to national influence is building local power."

On June 26, 2004 Cobb won the nomination on the second ballot. He named Pat LaMarche, a Green Party activist in Maine, as his running-mate.

Unlike Nader/Camejo the Cobb/LeMarche ticket adopted a "safe state" strategy of not campaigning hard in swing states where they thought they could possibly tip the scales in favor of Bush. Cobb rationalized, "In California, Cobb-LaMarche's message is going to be, 'Progressives, don't waste your vote.' Because if a progressive casts a vote for the corporate militarist John Kerry in California, it does not help to unelect Bush, and you can only send a message that you actually support policies that you don't. That's a wasted vote. Simple message: progressives, don't waste your vote. In the other states where it's very much closer, we have the same, in-depth, scathing critique of both the Democratic and Republican parties, and then conclude with, 'but think carefully before you cast your vote.' You know, that is completely respecting the voter, and it is really challenging those voters to think about why we have a system where I have to vote against what I hate, rather than support what I want."

LaMarche suggested she just might pull the level for the Democrat on Election Day, "If the race is tight, I'll vote for Kerry."

A swath of the Left felt the Greens were capitulating to the Democrats far too much. The Vermont Green Party broke ranks and endorsed Nader/Camejo. Other Greens appeared to migrate to the Socialists in 2004, giving them a larger popular vote than usual.

Karen Sanchirico of Boise, Idaho (PNW trivia alert!!!) became the running-mate in the state of Montana. At the time the state law declared that independent candidates could not be "associated with a political party for one year prior to submission of the nomination petition" which was interpreted as having run for office under the banner of another party. That ruled out Camejo since he had run as a Green in the 2003 election for Governor of California. So Sanchirico was substituted as a stand-in candidate.

In the previous year Sanchirico, with a background in the Green Party, had founded the Boise Patriots, the concept being a broad-based coalition opposing the Patriot Act and civil rights violations on the part of government and law enforcement.

In the four years since Nader last ran 9/11 had happened and the Bush administration was wrapping up their first term. Although President Bush called himself a uniter, not a divider, his economic policy, military initiatives, and interpretation of civil liberties under the Constitution seemed to widening the polarization of the country. Many in the Progressive side were willing to overlook Sen. Kerry's centrism and spent not a small amount of energy attempting to get Nader out of the race or off the ballots.

In one the most famous incidents in the 2004 campaign Bill Maher and Michael Moore got down on their knees and begged Nader on the Real Time television program on July 31, 2004 to drop out of the race.

There were others who agreed--

Keeping the Bush circle out means holding one's nose and voting for some Democrat. ... In a very powerful state, small differences may translate into very substantial effects on the victims, at home and abroad. It is no favor to those who are suffering, and may face much worse ahead, to overlook these facts.
–Noam Chomsky

I am going to run around this country and do everything I can to dissuade people from voting for Ralph Nader. ... this election will come down to a relatively few votes. ... I consider four more years of Bush a potential horror show for this country.
–Bernie Sanders

If Kerry is elected, we'll have a little ledge to stand on.
–Howard Zinn

Last time around, Nader attracted the support of a stellar list of left-leaning celebrities; Phil Donahue, Susan Sarandon, Michael Moore, Paul Newman, Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Eddie Vedder, and Ani DiFranco were all Naderites. That won't be the case this year.
-Mother Jones Magazine

A number of anti-Nader websites from the Progressive community sprang up: The Nader Factor, United Progressives for Victory, Vote2StopBush.org,  Dear Ralph, StopNader.com, Ralph Don't Run, Repentant Nader Voter PAC, Nader Watch Blog, Don't Vote Ralph, Ralph-Nader.info, Damned Big Difference, and Greens for Kerry (Change In '04).

"It's an ego-fueled Trojan Horse for the right wing," said Bob Gammage of StopNader.org, "The Republicans perceive (the Nader campaign) the same way we do: A vote for Nader is a vote for Bush. They're hoping ... they can confuse enough people to take the election away from Kerry."

Nader met with the Congressional Black Caucus in June. It did not go well. The CBC had asked Nader to drop out of the election and by the end there were raised voices, Nader was told by one member of Congress to "get your ass out" of the meeting, and Rep. Melvin Watt said the candidate was "just another arrogant white man, telling us what we can do. It's all about your ego, another [expletive] arrogant white man." Nader later demanded an apology for the language used in the meeting but never got it.

Some of the other attendees had choice words as well:
"He ain't playing with a full deck"--Rep. James Clyburn
"I don’t think he gets it ... The meeting was about strategy and the pragmatic planning to defeat Bush ... We told him how at strategic level, his candidacy defeats a common a goal ... We were particularly offended by Nader's exhibitionism, his selfishness and egotism"--Rep. Albert Wynn
"If he didn't understand what the meeting was about, not only is he an egotistical maniac, he's dumber than I thought he was"--Rep. Gregory Meeks

There was evidence the Republicans and far-Right groups were doing what they could to help Nader along, which was an unsurprising and old political practice by political parties helping the enemy of their enemy dating back to the early 1800s in US politics.

But as it was Nader's 2004 showing was faint compared to 2000. Rather than setting the foundation for a new progressive party, he was starting to be perceived by many as a perennial candidate for a personality-driven movement.

Nader was on the ballot in 35 states + DC and a registered write-in in 12 states finishing third nationally with 465,642 votes (0.38%). Of those, the Nader/Camejo ticket was on the ballot in 32 states + DC and certified write-ins in half a dozen more. In New York, Nader was on two different ballot lines, each with a different running-mate (with Camejo in the Peace and Justice Party, with Jan D. Pierce in the Independence Party). Pierce was also on the ballot with Nader in Alabama. Documents suggest Pierce would have also been on the ballot in Illinois, Ohio and Arizona as the VP if Nader had prevailed and been made a printed option for voters in those states, but that did not come to pass. Karen Sanchirico was the running-mate in Montana. Nader had no VP at all in 6 write-in slots.

The Nader/Sanchirico ticket finished with 1.37% of the vote in the Big Sky Country. This was Nader's third strongest result among the states.

After the election my friend and shirttail relative Robert C. "Bob" Bailey, who had once been one of the most powerful Democrats in Washington State, said he was not surprised at the re-election of George W. Bush. "Voters don't like to change Presidents in wartime, no matter how bad they are," was his view.

Election history: none

Other occupations: microbrewer, property manager, administrative project manager, translator

Notes:
Also known as Gwen Sanchirico and she recently ran a microbrew operation in the UK. "My name is
 Karen Sanchirico but I go by Gwen, which is Welsh for Karen."

Jan D. Pierce

Jan D. Pierce, May 20, 1937 (Ohio) -

VP candidate for Independent (aka Independence Party) (2004)

Running mate with nominee: Ralph Nader (b. 1934)
Popular vote: 90,948 (0.07%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

Expressing a desire to not become beholden to the platform of any party, Ralph Nader announced he was running for President in 2004 as an independent. Yet he also sought the endorsement (rather than the nomination) of several already established third parties as a way to more easily acquire ballot access. The Reform Party, Independent Party of Delaware, and Independence Party did just that, making him their de facto nominee. Some parties were simply invented as a 2004 one-shot deal due to local requirements. For example, Nader ran in Alaska, Arkansas, and Maryland under the Populist Party name, apparently unconcerned of the legacy of white nationalist policies connected with the recent party of that name 1984-1996 and still a fresh memory.

Although Nader never joined the Green Party, it was under their banner that he was perceived, perhaps unfairly, as being the spoiler in the 2000 election and handing the White House to George W. Bush especially in Florida. The Green Party had some significant differences of opinion within their ranks on how to proceed in 2004. Generally speaking there were three factions at play here.

The first group desired to endorse Ralph Nader's independent run. Nader himself had announced in Dec. 2003 he would not seek the Green nomination, but later he realized the Party's endorsement would come in handy in terms of ballot access although he had no intention of joining the Greens himself. The pro-Nader faction was energized when a week before the Green convention Nader had selected GP activist Peter Camejo as his running-mate. Camejo in fact had won the most popular votes in the Green Party primaries for President.

The second group wanted to run a campaign with a "pure" Green candidate (David Cobb was the frontrunner) rather than ride on the star power of a political celebrity who was not necessarily in line with the Party platform. Cobb, a California attorney and Party activist, had worked hard to gain the nomination as he electioneered across the country gathering delegates.

The third group promoted the idea of sitting out the 2004 Presidential contest and instead concentrate on elections at the grassroots local level. A leaflet from this faction at the convention included, "Choosing No Candidate will allow Greens to build strength at the grassroots, avoiding a punishing national media fight we cannot win ... Our best route to national influence is building local power."

On June 26, 2004 Cobb won the nomination on the second ballot. He named Pat LaMarche, a Green Party activist in Maine, as his running-mate.

Unlike Nader/Camejo the Cobb/LeMarche ticket adopted a "safe state" strategy of not campaigning hard in swing states where they thought they could possibly tip the scales in favor of Bush. Cobb rationalized, "In California, Cobb-LaMarche's message is going to be, 'Progressives, don't waste your vote.' Because if a progressive casts a vote for the corporate militarist John Kerry in California, it does not help to unelect Bush, and you can only send a message that you actually support policies that you don't. That's a wasted vote. Simple message: progressives, don't waste your vote. In the other states where it's very much closer, we have the same, in-depth, scathing critique of both the Democratic and Republican parties, and then conclude with, 'but think carefully before you cast your vote.' You know, that is completely respecting the voter, and it is really challenging those voters to think about why we have a system where I have to vote against what I hate, rather than support what I want."

LaMarche suggested she just might pull the level for the Democrat on Election Day, "If the race is tight, I'll vote for Kerry."

A swath of the Left felt the Greens were capitulating to the Democrats far too much. The Vermont Green Party broke ranks and endorsed Nader/Camejo. Other Greens appeared to migrate to the Socialists in 2004, giving them a larger popular vote than usual.

Jan D. Pierce was initially a stand-in VP in several states, but by Election Day he remained on the ballot as the running-mate in a couple states. With Pierce's background as a union activist, Nader planned to place him in his Cabinet, "Jan Pierce, former Vice President of the Communication Workers of America, will be my Secretary of Labor." Pierce had been a supporter of the Democratic Socialists of America and an effort to build the New Party in the 1990s (not the same as the New Party of the 1960s).

In the four years since Nader last ran 9/11 had happened and the Bush administration was wrapping up their first term. Although President Bush called himself a uniter, not a divider, his economic policy, military initiatives, and interpretation of civil liberties under the Constitution seemed to widening the polarization of the country. Many in the Progressive side were willing to overlook Sen. Kerry's centrism and spent not a small amount of energy attempting to get Nader out of the race or off the ballots.

In one the most famous incidents in the 2004 campaign Bill Maher and Michael Moore got down on their knees and begged Nader on the Real Time television program on July 31, 2004 to drop out of the race.

There were others who agreed--

Keeping the Bush circle out means holding one's nose and voting for some Democrat. ... In a very powerful state, small differences may translate into very substantial effects on the victims, at home and abroad. It is no favor to those who are suffering, and may face much worse ahead, to overlook these facts.
–Noam Chomsky

I am going to run around this country and do everything I can to dissuade people from voting for Ralph Nader. ... this election will come down to a relatively few votes. ... I consider four more years of Bush a potential horror show for this country.
–Bernie Sanders

If Kerry is elected, we'll have a little ledge to stand on.
–Howard Zinn

Last time around, Nader attracted the support of a stellar list of left-leaning celebrities; Phil Donahue, Susan Sarandon, Michael Moore, Paul Newman, Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Eddie Vedder, and Ani DiFranco were all Naderites. That won't be the case this year.
-Mother Jones Magazine

A number of anti-Nader websites from the Progressive community sprang up: The Nader Factor, United Progressives for Victory, Vote2StopBush.org,  Dear Ralph, StopNader.com, Ralph Don't Run, Repentant Nader Voter PAC, Nader Watch Blog, Don't Vote Ralph, Ralph-Nader.info, Damned Big Difference, and Greens for Kerry (Change In '04).

"It's an ego-fueled Trojan Horse for the right wing," said Bob Gammage of StopNader.org, "The Republicans perceive (the Nader campaign) the same way we do: A vote for Nader is a vote for Bush. They're hoping ... they can confuse enough people to take the election away from Kerry."

Nader met with the Congressional Black Caucus in June. It did not go well. The CBC had asked Nader to drop out of the election and by the end there were raised voices, Nader was told by one member of Congress to "get your ass out" of the meeting, and Rep. Melvin Watt said the candidate was "just another arrogant white man, telling us what we can do. It's all about your ego, another [expletive] arrogant white man." Nader later demanded an apology for the language used in the meeting but never got it.

Some of the other attendees had choice words as well:
"He ain't playing with a full deck"--Rep. James Clyburn
"I don’t think he gets it ... The meeting was about strategy and the pragmatic planning to defeat Bush ... We told him how at strategic level, his candidacy defeats a common a goal ... We were particularly offended by Nader's exhibitionism, his selfishness and egotism"--Rep. Albert Wynn
"If he didn't understand what the meeting was about, not only is he an egotistical maniac, he's dumber than I thought he was"--Rep. Gregory Meeks

There was evidence the Republicans and far-Right groups were doing what they could to help Nader along, which was an unsurprising and old political practice by political parties helping the enemy of their enemy dating back to the early 1800s in US politics.

But as it was Nader's 2004 showing was faint compared to 2000. Rather than setting the foundation for a new progressive party, he was starting to be perceived by many as a perennial candidate for a personality-driven movement.

Nader was on the ballot in 35 states + DC and a registered write-in in 12 states finishing third nationally with 465,642 votes (0.38%). Of those, the Nader/Camejo ticket was on the ballot in 32 states + DC and certified write-ins in half a dozen more. In New York, Nader was on two different ballot lines, each with a different running-mate (with Camejo in the Peace and Justice Party, with Jan D. Pierce in the Independence Party). Pierce was also on the ballot with Nader in Alabama. Documents suggest Pierce would have also been on the ballot in Illinois, Ohio and Arizona as the VP if Nader had prevailed and been made a printed option for voters in those states, but that did not come to pass. Karen Sanchirico was the running-mate in Montana. Nader had no VP at all in 6 write-in slots.

The Nader/Pierce ticket finished with 1.13% in New York and 0.36% in Alabama.

After the election my friend and shirttail relative Robert C. "Bob" Bailey, who had once been one of the most powerful Democrats in Washington State, said he was not surprised at the re-election of George W. Bush. "Voters don't like to change Presidents in wartime, no matter how bad they are," was his view.

Election history: none

Other occupations: Secretary of the Ohio Labor Party, union activist, co-chair Rainbow Coalition Labor Commission.

Notes:
Registered Democrat.

Peter Miguel Camejo Guanche

 Moore and Maher beg Nader not to run in 2004

Peter Miguel Camejo Guanche, December 31, 1939 (New York, NY) – September 13, 2008 (Folsom, Calif.)

VP candidate for Independent (aka Populist Party aka Reform Party of the United States of America aka Better Life aka Peace and Justice Party aka Unaffiliated aka Independent Party of Delaware) (2004)

Running mate with nominee: Ralph Nader (b. 1934)
Popular vote: 235,856 (0.19%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

Expressing a desire to not become beholden to the platform of any party, Ralph Nader announced he was running for President in 2004 as an independent. Yet he also sought the endorsement (rather than the nomination) of several already established third parties as a way to more easily acquire ballot access. The Reform Party, Independent Party of Delaware, and Independence Party did just that, making him their de facto nominee. Some parties were simply invented as a 2004 one-shot deal due to local requirements. For example, Nader ran in Alaska, Arkansas, and Maryland under the Populist Party name, apparently unconcerned of the legacy of white nationalist policies connected with the recent party of that name 1984-1996 and still a fresh memory.

Although Nader never joined the Green Party, it was under their banner that he was perceived, perhaps unfairly, as being the spoiler in the 2000 election and handing the White House to George W. Bush especially in Florida. The Green Party had some significant differences of opinion within their ranks on how to proceed in 2004. Generally speaking there were three factions at play here.

The first group desired to endorse Ralph Nader's independent run. Nader himself had announced in Dec. 2003 he would not seek the Green nomination, but later he realized the Party's endorsement would come in handy in terms of ballot access although he had no intention of joining the Greens himself. The pro-Nader faction was energized when a week before the Green convention Nader had selected GP activist Peter Camejo as his running-mate. Camejo in fact had won the most popular votes in the Green Party primaries for President.

The second group wanted to run a campaign with a "pure" Green candidate (David Cobb was the frontrunner) rather than ride on the star power of a political celebrity who was not necessarily in line with the Party platform. Cobb, a California attorney and Party activist, had worked hard to gain the nomination as he electioneered across the country gathering delegates.

The third group promoted the idea of sitting out the 2004 Presidential contest and instead concentrate on elections at the grassroots local level. A leaflet from this faction at the convention included, "Choosing No Candidate will allow Greens to build strength at the grassroots, avoiding a punishing national media fight we cannot win ... Our best route to national influence is building local power."

On June 26, 2004 Cobb won the nomination on the second ballot. He named Pat LaMarche, a Green Party activist in Maine, as his running-mate.

Unlike Nader/Camejo the Cobb/LeMarche ticket adopted a "safe state" strategy of not campaigning hard in swing states where they thought they could possibly tip the scales in favor of Bush. Cobb rationalized, "In California, Cobb-LaMarche's message is going to be, 'Progressives, don't waste your vote.' Because if a progressive casts a vote for the corporate militarist John Kerry in California, it does not help to unelect Bush, and you can only send a message that you actually support policies that you don't. That's a wasted vote. Simple message: progressives, don't waste your vote. In the other states where it's very much closer, we have the same, in-depth, scathing critique of both the Democratic and Republican parties, and then conclude with, 'but think carefully before you cast your vote.' You know, that is completely respecting the voter, and it is really challenging those voters to think about why we have a system where I have to vote against what I hate, rather than support what I want."

LaMarche suggested she just might pull the level for the Democrat on Election Day, "If the race is tight, I'll vote for Kerry."

A swath of the Left felt the Greens were capitulating to the Democrats far too much. The Vermont Green Party broke ranks and endorsed Nader/Camejo. Other Greens appeared to migrate to the Socialists in 2004, giving them a larger popular vote than usual.

Peter Camejo spent most of his early years in Venezuela, although he was born in New York.

Camejo had a long history as a worker for social justice issues. He had participated in one of the Selma civil rights marches in 1965. Two years later he was expelled from UC Berkeley for his demonstration activities. Gov. Ronald Reagan called him one of the ten most dangerous people in California because he was "present at all anti-war demonstrations." Camejo was also an activist for migrant farm workers' rights.

During this era Camejo's political vehicle was the Socialist Workers Party. He was their Presidential nominee in 1976. As the SWP became more rigid and some say cult-like as they assigned Party workers places to live and work and infiltrate, Camejo either quit or was expelled in 1980. "I tried to make changes inside the SWP, and it was very difficult. I guess it's like being in the Catholic Church and suggesting that Mary wasn't really a virgin or something," he later said.

He gravitated to the Green Party, supported Nader for President in 1996 and 2000, and by 2004 had already run twice as a Green for the office of California Governor, including in that wild 2003 recall election with 135 candidates.

In the four years since Nader last ran 9/11 had happened and the Bush administration was wrapping up their first term. Although President Bush called himself a uniter, not a divider, his economic policy, military initiatives, and interpretation of civil liberties under the Constitution seemed to widening the polarization of the country. Many in the Progressive side were willing to overlook Sen. Kerry's centrism and spent not a small amount of energy attempting to get Nader out of the race or off the ballots.

In one the most famous incidents in the 2004 campaign Bill Maher and Michael Moore got down on their knees and begged Nader on the Real Time television program on July 31, 2004 to drop out of the race.

There were others who agreed--

Keeping the Bush circle out means holding one's nose and voting for some Democrat. ... In a very powerful state, small differences may translate into very substantial effects on the victims, at home and abroad. It is no favor to those who are suffering, and may face much worse ahead, to overlook these facts.
–Noam Chomsky

I am going to run around this country and do everything I can to dissuade people from voting for Ralph Nader. ... this election will come down to a relatively few votes. ... I consider four more years of Bush a potential horror show for this country.
–Bernie Sanders

If Kerry is elected, we'll have a little ledge to stand on.
–Howard Zinn

Last time around, Nader attracted the support of a stellar list of left-leaning celebrities; Phil Donahue, Susan Sarandon, Michael Moore, Paul Newman, Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Eddie Vedder, and Ani DiFranco were all Naderites. That won't be the case this year.
-Mother Jones Magazine

A number of anti-Nader websites from the Progressive community sprang up: The Nader Factor, United Progressives for Victory, Vote2StopBush.org,  Dear Ralph, StopNader.com, Ralph Don't Run, Repentant Nader Voter PAC, Nader Watch Blog, Don't Vote Ralph, Ralph-Nader.info, Damned Big Difference, and Greens for Kerry (Change In '04).

"It's an ego-fueled Trojan Horse for the right wing," said Bob Gammage of StopNader.org, "The Republicans perceive (the Nader campaign) the same way we do: A vote for Nader is a vote for Bush. They're hoping ... they can confuse enough people to take the election away from Kerry."

Nader met with the Congressional Black Caucus in June. It did not go well. The CBC had asked Nader to drop out of the election and by the end there were raised voices, Nader was told by one member of Congress to "get your ass out" of the meeting, and Rep. Melvin Watt said the candidate was "just another arrogant white man, telling us what we can do. It's all about your ego, another [expletive] arrogant white man." Nader later demanded an apology for the language used in the meeting but never got it.

Some of the other attendees had choice words as well:
"He ain't playing with a full deck"--Rep. James Clyburn
"I don’t think he gets it ... The meeting was about strategy and the pragmatic planning to defeat Bush ... We told him how at strategic level, his candidacy defeats a common a goal ... We were particularly offended by Nader's exhibitionism, his selfishness and egotism"--Rep. Albert Wynn
"If he didn't understand what the meeting was about, not only is he an egotistical maniac, he's dumber than I thought he was"--Rep. Gregory Meeks

There was evidence the Republicans and far-Right groups were doing what they could to help Nader along, which was an unsurprising and old political practice by political parties helping the enemy of their enemy dating back to the early 1800s in US politics.

But as it was Nader's 2004 showing was faint compared to 2000. Rather than setting the foundation for a new progressive party, he was starting to be perceived by many as a perennial candidate for a personality-driven movement.

Nader was on the ballot in 35 states + DC and a registered write-in in 12 states finishing third nationally with 465,642 votes (0.38%). Of those, the Nader/Camejo ticket was on the ballot in 32 states + DC and certified write-ins in half a dozen more. In New York, Nader was on two different ballot lines, each with a different running-mate (with Camejo in the Peace and Justice Party, with Jan D. Pierce in the Independence Party). Pierce was also on the ballot with Nader in Alabama. Karen Sanchirico was the running-mate in Montana. Nader had no VP at all in 6 write-in slots.

Nader/Camejo cracked 1% in Alaska 1.62%, Vermont 1.44%, Utah 1.22%, North Dakota 1.20%, Wyoming 1.13%, South Dakota 1.11%, Maine 1.09%, and Rhode Island 1.06%.

After the election my friend and shirttail relative Robert C. "Bob" Bailey, who had once been one of the most powerful Democrats in Washington State, said he was not surprised at the re-election of George W. Bush. "Voters don't like to change Presidents in wartime, no matter how bad they are," was his view.

Shortly before his death in 2008, Camejo endorsed the Nader/Gonzalez ticket.

Election history:
1965 - New York City Council President (Socialist Workers Party) - defeated
1967 - Mayor of Berkeley, Calif. (Nonpartisan) - defeated
1976 - US President (Socialist Workers Party) - defeated
2002 - Governor of California (Green Party of the United States) - defeated
2003 - Governor of California (Green Party of the United States) - defeated
2004 - Green Party of the United States nomination for US President - defeated
2004 - Green Party of the United States nomination for US Vice-President - defeated
2006 - Governor of California (Green Party of the United States) - defeated

Other occupations: author, activist, stockbroker, Chief Executive Officer of Progressive Asset Management

Buried: ?

Notes:
One of his opponents in the 1967 election was Jerry Rubin.
Winner of the 2002 election was Gray Davis.
Winner of the 2003 election was Arnold Schwarzenegger. Camejo placed 4th in a field of 135
 candidates. I watched this amazing election from up north in Washington and was rooting for
 Georgina "Georgy" Russell.
The 2006 election included Arnold Schwarzenegger (winner), Art Olivier, Janice Jordan, and James
 Harris.
An accomplished yachtsman competing in the 1960 Olympics on behalf of Venezuela.
Full disclosure. I voted for Nader in 2000. Kerry in 2004.