Editing Ralph Nader (section)

=== Presidential campaigns ===

==== 1972 ====
[[File:Draft Ralph Nader 1972 button.png|thumb|right|100px|Campaign button from the 1972 effort to draft Nader to be the candidate for the New Party]]
Ralph Nader's name appeared in the press as a potential candidate for president for the first time in 1971, when he was offered the opportunity to run as the presidential candidate for the [[People's Party (United States, 1971)|New Party]], a progressive split-off from the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] in 1972. Chief among his advocates was author [[Gore Vidal]], who touted a 1972 Nader presidential campaign in a front-page article in ''[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]'' magazine in 1971.<ref name="The Best Man/'72"/> Psychologist [[Rockway Institute|Alan Rockway]] organized a "draft Ralph Nader for President" campaign in Florida on the New Party's behalf.<ref>{{cite news |title=Coalition Party Opens Conference |newspaper=[[Spartanburg Herald-Journal]] |date=October 2, 1971 |pages=2A }}</ref> Nader declined their offer to run that year; the New Party ultimately joined with the [[People's Party (United States, 1970s)|People's Party]] in running [[Benjamin Spock]] in the [[1972 United States presidential election|1972 presidential election]].<ref name="ReferenceA"/><ref name="Justin Martin 2002"/><ref>Gore Vidal. "The Best Man /'72: Ralph Nader Can Be President of the US." ''Esquire'', June 1971.</ref> Spock had hoped Nader in particular would run, getting "some of the loudest applause of the evening" when mentioning him at the [[University of Alabama]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Spock Shares Youths' Views |author=Smithey, Waylon |newspaper=The Tuscaloosa News |date=September 23, 1971 |page=2 }}</ref> Spock went on to try to recruit Nader for the party among over 100 others, and indicated he would be "delighted" to be replaced by any of them even after he accepted the nomination himself.<ref>{{cite news |title=People's Party Nominates Dr. Spock for President |newspaper=[[Spartanburg Herald-Journal]] |date=November 29, 1971 |pages=B5 }}</ref> Nader received one vote for the vice-presidential nomination at the [[1972 Democratic National Convention#Delegate vote for vice-presidential nomination|1972 Democratic National Convention]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=59902&ShowAllCand=Y | title=Our Campaigns - US Vice President - D Convention Race - Jul 10, 1972 }}</ref>

==== 1980 ====
In the [[1980 United States presidential election|1980 Presidential Election]], the progressive-oriented [[Citizens Party (United States)|Citizens Party]] approached Nader with the prospect of running as their Presidential Nominee. Nader declined their offer stating "I will never run for president".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://time.com/4584919/barry-commoner-shocking-ad/|title = The Shocking Campaign Ad That Put a Third-Party Candidate on the Political Map}}</ref> The party ended up nominating biologist [[Barry Commoner]] instead.<ref>{{cite web|last=Vinciguerra |first=Thomas |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/19/science/earth/19conv.html |title=A Conversation with Barry Commoner: At 90, an Environmentalist From the '70s Still Has Hope |work=The New York Times |date=June 19, 2007 |access-date=October 2, 2012}}</ref>

==== 1992 ====
[[File:Draft Ralph Nader '92.jpg|thumb|100px|right|Button from 1992]]
Nader stood in as a [[write-in candidate|write-in]] for "none of the above" in both the 1992 [[New Hampshire primary|New Hampshire Democratic and Republican Primaries]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/18/us/the-1992-campaign-write-in-in-nader-s-campaign-white-house-isn-t-the-goal.html |title=The 1992 Campaign: Write-In; In Nader's Campaign, White House Isn't the Goal |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=February 18, 1992 }}</ref> and received 3,054 of the 170,333 Democratic votes and 3,258 of the 177,970 Republican votes cast.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sos.nh.gov/presprim1992/index.htm |title=1992 Presidential Primary |publisher=Sos.nh.gov |date=February 18, 1992 |access-date=May 24, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090716000840/http://www.sos.nh.gov/presprim1992/index.htm |archive-date=July 16, 2009 }}</ref> He was also a candidate in the 1992 Massachusetts Democratic Primary.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1992 President Democratic Primary Statewide (showing only Dukes County) |url=https://electionstats.state.ma.us/elections/view/106310/filter_by_county:Dukes |access-date=July 18, 2023 |website=PD43+ |language=en-US}}</ref>

==== 1996 ====
{{Main|Ralph Nader 1996 presidential campaign}}
[[File:Ralph Nader 1996 button 00.png|thumb|left|Campaign button from 1996|150px]]
Nader was drafted as a candidate for President of the United States on the [[Green Party (United States)|Green Party]] ticket during the [[1996 U.S. presidential election|1996 presidential election]]. He was not formally nominated by the [[Greens/Green Party USA|Green Party USA]], which was, at the time, the largest national Green group; instead he was nominated independently by various state Green parties (in some states, he appeared on the ballot as an independent). However, many activists in the Green Party USA worked actively to campaign for Nader that year. Nader qualified for ballot status in 22 states,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politics1.com/nader04.htm |title=Politics1.com |publisher=Politics1.com |date=February 27, 1934 |access-date=May 24, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080316082743/http://politics1.com/nader04.htm |archive-date = March 16, 2008}}</ref> garnering 685,297 votes or 0.71% of the popular vote (fourth place overall),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?year=1996 |title=Uselectionatlas.org |publisher=Uselectionatlas.org |access-date=May 24, 2010}}</ref> although the effort did make significant organizational gains for the party. He refused to raise or spend more than $5,000 on his campaign,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jr |first=B. Drummond Ayres |date=August 20, 1996 |title=Ralph Nader Is Nominated for President, but Vows He Will Ignore His Party's Platform |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/20/us/ralph-nader-nominated-for-president-but-vows-he-will-ignore-his-party-s-platform.html |access-date=July 18, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> presumably to avoid meeting the threshold for [[Federal Election Commission]] reporting requirements.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 23, 1996 |title=Candidate Nader runs quixotic campaign Unconventional effort has minimal budget and low expectations|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1996-09-23-1996267043-story.html |access-date=July 18, 2023 |website=Baltimore Sun}}</ref> The unofficial Draft Nader committee could (and did) spend more than that, but the committee was legally prevented from coordinating in any way with Nader himself.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

Nader received some criticism from [[gay rights]] supporters for calling gay rights "[[gonad]]al politics" and stating that he was not interested in dealing with such matters.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Nader.html |title=1.75 cheers for Ralph |work=Left Business Observer |date=October 1996 |access-date=May 24, 2010}}</ref> In July 2004, however, he publicly stated that he supported [[same-sex marriage]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Ralph_Nader_Civil_Rights.htm |title=On The Issues|publisher=Votenader.org |date=September 9, 2018|access-date=October 4, 2019}}</ref>

His 1996 running mates included: Anne Goeke (nine states), Deborah Howes (Oregon), [[Muriel Tillinghast]] (New York), Krista Paradise (Colorado), Madelyn Hoffman (New Jersey), Bill Boteler (Washington, D.C.), and [[Winona LaDuke]] (California and Texas).<ref>Gaard, Greta (May 11, 1998). ''Ecological Politics: Ecofeminists and the Greens'', [[Temple University Press]]. page 240.</ref>

==== 2000 ====
{{Main|Ralph Nader 2000 presidential campaign}}

In the 2006 documentary ''[[An Unreasonable Man]]'', Nader described how he was unable to get the views of his public-interest groups heard in Washington, even by the [[Clinton Administration]]. Nader cited this as one of the primary reasons why he decided to actively run in the [[2000 U.S. presidential election|2000]] election as candidate of the [[Green Party of the United States|Green Party]], which had been formed in the wake of his 1996 campaign.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}
[[File:DebateCommissionProtest 2000.JPG|thumb|left|Nader's supporters, with [[Christopher Hitchens]] speaking, protest his exclusion from the televised debates in 2000]]

In June 2000, The Association of State Green Parties (ASGP) organized the national nominating convention that took place in Denver, Colorado, at which Green Party delegates nominated Ralph Nader and [[Winona LaDuke]] to be their party's candidates for president and vice president.<ref>{{cite web |work=Common Dreams Progressive Newswire |date=July 11, 2001 |url=http://www.commondreams.org/news2001/0710-02.htm |title=Green Meeting Will Establish Greens as a National Party |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208092841/http://www.commondreams.org/news2001/0710-02.htm |archive-date=December 8, 2013 |access-date=August 28, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Nelson |first=Susan |work=Synthesis/Regeneration |volume=26 |issue=Fall 2001 |url=http://www.greens.org/s-r/26/26-17.html |title=The G/GPUSA Congress and the ASGP Conference: Authentic Grassroots Democracy vs. Packaged Public Relations |access-date=August 28, 2009 }}</ref>

On July 9, the [[Vermont Progressive Party]] nominated Nader, giving him ballot access in the state.<ref>Ballot Access News (August 1, 2000). {{cite web|url=http://ballot-access.org/2000/0801.html |title=Vermont Progressives Nominate Nader |access-date=October 22, 2002 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021022183249/http://ballot-access.org/2000/0801.html |archive-date=October 22, 2002 }}</ref> On August 12, the [[United Citizens Party]] of South Carolina chose Ralph Nader as its presidential nominee, giving him a ballot line in the state.<ref name="United Citizens Party Picks Nader">(2000-08-01) {{cite web|url=http://ballot-access.org/2000/0901.html |title=United Citizens Party Picks Nader |access-date=August 20, 2002 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020820004727/http://ballot-access.org/2000/0901.html |archive-date=August 20, 2002 }}, Ballot Access News.</ref>

In October 2000, at the largest Super Rally of his campaign,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.commondreams.org/headlines/100200-02.htm |title=Nader 'Super Rally' Draws 12,000 To Boston's FleetCenter |publisher=Commondreams.org |access-date=May 24, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100418060352/http://www.commondreams.org/headlines/100200-02.htm |archive-date=April 18, 2010 }}</ref> held in New York City's [[Madison Square Garden]], 15,000 people paid $20 each<ref>{{cite news |url=http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/10/14/nader.ap/index.html |work=CNN |title=Loyal Nader fans pack Madison Square Garden |date=October 14, 2000 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202133001/http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/10/14/nader.ap/index.html |archive-date=December 2, 2008 }}</ref> to hear Nader speak. Nader's campaign rejected both parties as institutions dominated by corporate interests, stating that [[Al Gore]] and [[George W. Bush]] were "[[Tweedledee and Tweedledum]]". A long list of notable celebrities spoke and performed at the event including [[Susan Sarandon]], [[Ani DiFranco]], [[Ben Harper]], [[Tim Robbins]], [[Michael Moore]], [[Eddie Vedder]] and [[Patti Smith]]. The campaign also had some prominent union help: The [[California Nurses Association]] and the [[United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America|United Electrical Workers]] endorsed his candidacy and campaigned for him.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.socialistworker.org/2008-1/659/659_07_Nader.shtml |title= Nader, the Greens and 2008 |publisher= Socialistworker.org |date= January 25, 2008 |access-date= May 24, 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081204175825/http://www.socialistworker.org/2008-1/659/659_07_Nader.shtml |archive-date= December 4, 2008 }}</ref>

Nader and LaDuke received 2,883,105 votes, for 2.74 percent of the popular vote (third place overall),<ref>{{cite web |url= http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?year=2000 |title= 2000 Presidential General Election Results |author= David Leip |access-date= January 15, 2016}}</ref> missing the 5 percent needed to qualify the Green Party for federally distributed public funding in the next election, yet qualifying the party for ballot status in many states.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

Nader often openly expressed his hope for Bush's victory over Gore, saying it "would mobilize us",<ref name="Calvo-2000">{{cite news|last1=Calvo|first1=Dana|title=Nader Refuses to Cease Fire on Gore, Bush |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-oct-21-me-40021-story.html |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=October 21, 2000 |access-date=September 19, 2016}}</ref> and that environmental and consumer regulatory agencies would fare better under Bush than Gore.<ref name="Meet the Press">{{cite web|title=Transcript: Ralph Nader on 'Meet The Press'|url=http://commondreams.org/headlines/050800-03.htm|website=Common Dreams|date=August 6, 2000|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112182912/http://commondreams.org/headlines/050800-03.htm|archive-date=November 12, 2016}}</ref>  When asked which of the two he'd vote for if forced, Nader answered "Bush ... If you want the parties to diverge from one another, have Bush win."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Heinrichs|first1=Jay|title=Will Ralph Nader become Al Gore's worst nightmare? |url=https://www.outsideonline.com/1837851/ralph-nader-2000-campaign-interview|website=Outside Magazine|date=August 1, 2000}}</ref> As to whether he would feel regret if he caused Gore's defeat, Nader replied "I would not—not at all. I'd rather have a provocateur than an anesthetizer in the White House."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Poundstone|first1=William|title=Gaming the Vote: Why Elections Aren't Fair (and What We Can Do About It) |publisher=Macmillan|url=https://archive.org/details/gamingvotewhyele00poun|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/gamingvotewhyele00poun/page/84 84]|date=February 17, 2009|isbn=978-0-8090-4892-2}}</ref>  On another occasion, Nader answered this question with: "No, not at all ... There may be a cold shower for four years that would help the Democratic Party ... It doesn't matter who is in the White House."<ref name="Meet the Press" />

===== Spoiler controversy =====
In the [[United States presidential election in Florida, 2000|2000 presidential election in Florida]], George W. Bush defeated Al Gore by 537 votes. Nader received {{formatnum:97421}} votes, which led to claims that he was responsible for Gore's defeat. Nader disputes that he helped Bush win.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.votenader.org/why_ralph/index.php?cid=14 |title=Dear Conservatives Upset With the Policies of the Bush Administration |work=Nader for President 2004  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040702033113/http://www.votenader.org/why_ralph/index.php?cid=14 |archive-date=July 2, 2004 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB121218925042534249 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |title=Interview: Ralph Nader | first=Tunku | last=Varadarajan | date=May 31, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work=Grist |title=Nader on the Record |url=http://www.grist.org/feature/2008/03/19/nader/ |date=March 19, 2008}}</ref> A 2003 study found that Nader's candidacy was a critical factor in Bush's victory.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Magee |first1=Christopher S. P. |title=Third-Party Candidates and the 2000 Presidential Election |journal=Social Science Quarterly |date=September 2003 |volume=84 |issue=3 |pages=574–595 |doi=10.1111/1540-6237.8403006 }}</ref> A 2004 study found that Nader voters had the profile of likely voters with a preference for Democratic candidates.<ref name="Southwell-2004">{{cite journal |last1=Southwell |first1=Priscilla L |title=Nader voters in the 2000 Presidential Election: what would they have done without him? |journal=The Social Science Journal |date=September 1, 2004 |volume=41 |issue=3 |pages=423–431 |doi=10.1016/j.soscij.2004.04.009 |s2cid=144552793 }}</ref> They were therefore likely to vote for Gore over Bush in the absence of Nader's candidacy.<ref name="Southwell-2004" />

A study by Harvard Professor B.C. Burden in 2005 showed Nader did "play a pivotal role in determining who would become president following the 2000 election", but that:

{{blockquote|Contrary to Democrats' complaints, Nader was not intentionally trying to throw the election. A spoiler strategy would have caused him to focus disproportionately on the most competitive states and markets with the hopes of being a key player in the outcome. There is no evidence that his appearances responded to closeness. He did, apparently, pursue voter support, however, in a quest to receive 5% of the popular vote.<ref name="Burden 673–699">{{Cite journal|last=Burden |first=B. C. |author-link=Barry Burden |title=Ralph Nader's Campaign Strategy |journal=American Politics Research |pages=673–699 |date=September 2005 |url=https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/bcburden/web/burden2005.pdf  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713031620/https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/bcburden/web/burden2005.pdf |archive-date=2011-07-13 }}</ref>}}

However, [[Jonathan Chait]] of ''[[The American Prospect]]'' and ''[[The New Republic]]'' notes that Nader did indeed focus on swing states disproportionately during the waning days of the campaign, and by doing so jeopardized his own chances of achieving the 5% of the vote he was aiming for.

{{blockquote|Then there was the debate within the Nader campaign over where to travel in the waning days of the campaign. Some Nader advisers urged him to spend his time in uncontested states such as New York and California. These states – where liberals and leftists could entertain the thought of voting Nader without fear of aiding Bush – offered the richest harvest of potential votes. But, Martin writes, Nader – who emerges from this account as the house radical of his own campaign – insisted on spending the final days of the campaign on a whirlwind tour of battleground states such as Pennsylvania and Florida. In other words, he chose to go where the votes were scarcest, jeopardizing his own chances of winning 5 percent of the vote, which he needed to gain federal funds in 2004.<ref name="prospect1">{{cite web |url=http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=books_in_review_110402 |title=Books in Review: &#124; The American Prospect |publisher=Prospect.org |access-date=2011-01-01 |archive-date=December 22, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222070928/http://prospect.org/cs/articles?article=books_in_review_110402  }}</ref>}}

When Nader, in a letter to environmentalists, attacked Gore for "his role as broker of environmental voters for corporate cash," and "the prototype for the bankable, Green corporate politician," and what he called a string of broken promises to the [[environmental movement]], [[Sierra Club]] president [[Carl Pope (environmentalist)|Carl Pope]] sent an open letter to Nader, dated October 27, 2000, defending Al Gore's environmental record and calling Nader's strategy "irresponsible."<ref>{{cite web |work=knowthecandidates.org |url=http://www.knowthecandidates.org/ktc/NaderSierraC.htm#sierraclubnader |title=The Nader Debate with the Sierra Club about Gore and the Environment }}</ref> He wrote:

{{blockquote|You have also broken your word to your followers who signed the petitions that got you on the ballot in many states. You pledged you would not campaign as a spoiler and would avoid the swing states. Your recent campaign rhetoric and campaign schedule make it clear that you have broken this pledge ... Please accept that I, and the overwhelming majority of the environmental movement in this country, genuinely believe that your strategy is flawed, dangerous and reckless.<ref>{{cite web |last=Pope |first=Carl |date=October 27, 2000 |url=http://www.commondreams.org/headlines/102700-03.htm |title=Ralph Nader Attack On Environmentalists Who Are Supporting Vice-President Gore |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112182906/http://www.commondreams.org/headlines/102700-03.htm |archive-date=2016-11-12 |work=CommonDreams.org }}</ref>}}

==== 2004 ====
{{Main|Ralph Nader 2004 presidential campaign}}
[[File:Ralph Nader on the environment (2004 Feb 10).webm|thumb|right|Nader speaking on [[environmentalism]] in February 2004]]
Nader announced on December 23, 2003, that he would not seek the Green Party's nomination for president in 2004, but did not rule out running as an [[Independent politician|independent candidate]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Levine |first1=Adam |title=Green Party: Nader mulling independent run |url=https://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/12/23/elec04.prez.nader/ |website=cnn.com |publisher=Cable News Network LP, LLLP. |access-date=November 26, 2023}}</ref>

Ralph Nader and Democratic candidate [[John Kerry]] held a widely publicized meeting early in the 2004 presidential campaign. Nader said that John Kerry wanted to work to win Nader's support and the support of Nader's voters, prompting Nader to provide Kerry more than 20 pages of issues that he felt were important. According to Nader, he asked John Kerry to choose any three of the issues and highlight them in his campaign; should Kerry meet these conditions Nader would not contest the election. On February 22, 2004, having not heard back from Kerry, Nader announced that he would run for president as an independent.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nader rejects spoiler label in new presidential bid |url=https://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/02/23/elec04.prez.nader/ |website=cnn.com |publisher=Cable News Network LP, LLLP. |access-date=November 26, 2023}}</ref>

Due to concerns about a possible [[spoiler effect]], many Democrats urged Nader to abandon his 2004 candidacy. The chairman of the [[Democratic National Committee]], [[Terry McAuliffe]], stated that Nader had a "distinguished career, fighting for working families", and that McAuliffe "would hate to see part of his legacy being that he got us eight years of George Bush". [[Theresa Amato]], Nader's national campaign manager in 2000 and 2004, later alleged that McAuliffe offered to pay off Nader if he would not campaign in certain states, an allegation confirmed by Nader and undisputed by McAuliffe.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/28/AR2009052803823.html |title=Nader: McAuliffe Offered Money To Avoid Key States in '04 Race |newspaper=The Washington Post |date= May 29, 2009|access-date=May 24, 2010 | first1=Anita | last1=Kumar | first2=Rosalind S. | last2=Helderman}}</ref>

Nader received 463,655 votes, for 0.38 percent of the popular vote, placing him in third place overall.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?year=2004&minper=0&f=0&off=0&elect=0 |work=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections |title=2004 Presidential General Election Results |access-date=February 24, 2009 }}</ref>

==== 2008 ====
{{Main|Ralph Nader presidential campaign, 2008}}

[[File:Ralph Nader in Waterbury 1, October 4, 2008.jpg|thumb|Nader campaigning in October 2008]]

In February 2007, Nader criticized Democratic front-runner [[Hillary Clinton]] as "a panderer and a flatterer," later describing her as someone who had "no political fortitude."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nichols |first1=John |title=An Unreasonable Man May Run Again |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/unreasonable-man-may-run-again/ |date=January 31, 2008 }}</ref> During a February 2008 appearance on ''[[Meet the Press]]'', Nader announced his intention to run for president as an independent, later naming [[Matt Gonzalez]] as his running-mate.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/nader-names-running-mate-in-presidential-bid-1.704680 |title= Nader names running mate in presidential bid |access-date=October 30, 2008 |date= February 28, 2008 |publisher= [[CBC News]]}}</ref> Nader was endorsed by [[Howard Zinn]], [[Jesse Ventura]], [[Justin Jeffre]], [[Tom Morello]], [[Val Kilmer]], [[Rocky Anderson]], [[James Abourezk]], [[Patti Smith]], and [[Jello Biafra]]. The Nader campaign raised $4.3&nbsp;million in campaign funds, primarily from small, individual donations. Nader/Gonzalez earned 738,475 votes and a third-place finish in the [[2008 United States presidential election]].<ref name="FEC">{{cite web |url= http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe2008/2008presgeresults.pdf |title= 2008 Official Presidential General Election Results |access-date=February 3, 2009 |date= November 4, 2008 |publisher= [[Federal Election Commission|FEC]]}}</ref>
{{clear}}
<div style="overflow:auto;">
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! colspan=2 class="unsortable"| Campaign
! style="width:150px;"  class="unsortable" | Running mate
! style="width:100px;"data-sort-type="date" class="unsortable"| Ballot access
! style="width:50px;" | Funds raised
! style="width:50px;" class="unsortable"| Popular vote
! style="width:315px;" class="unsortable"| Party affiliation
---- Co-nominators
! style="width:315px;" class="unsortable"| Media and organizational endorsers
! style="width:315px;" class="unsortable"| Notable endorsers
|-
|data-sort-value="2008"|[[File:Ralph Nader 2004 campaign logo.svg|200px]]<br /><big>'''[[Ralph Nader presidential campaign, 2000]]'''</big>
| style="background:#0f0;"|
|[[File:Winona duke dream reborn.png|150px]]<br />[[Winona LaDuke]]
| data-sort-value="0"|[[File:2000NAder23123.png|300px]]
| data-sort-value="0"|$8.4 million
| data-sort-value="0"|2,882,995<br /> (2.74%)
| data-sort-value="0"|[[Green Party USA]]
---- [[Vermont Progressive Party]]<br/>
| data-sort-value="0"|* [[California Nurses Association]]<br /> * [[United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America|United Electrical Workers]]<br /> * [[Hemp Industries Association]]<br /> * ''[[Village Voice]]''<br /> * ''[[The Austin Chronicle]]''<br /> * ''[[Worcester Magazine]]''<br /> * ''[[San Francisco Bay Guardian]]''
| data-sort-value="0"|[[Susan Sarandon]], [[Michael Moore]], [[Howard Zinn]], [[Eddie Vedder]], [[Bill Murray]], [[Pete Seeger]], [[Linda Ronstadt]], [[Paul Newman]], [[Willie Nelson]], [[Noam Chomsky]], [[John B. Anderson]], [[Phil Donahue]]
|-
|data-sort-value="2004"|<!--[[File:Nader2004342342.jpg|200px]]--><br /><big>'''[[Ralph Nader presidential campaign, 2004]]'''</big>
| style="background:#fff;"|
|[[File:Peter Camejo.gif|150px]]<br />[[Peter Camejo]]
| data-sort-value="0"|<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Nader2004342656.png|300px]] -->
| data-sort-value="0"|$4.6 million
| data-sort-value="0"|463,655 <br /> (0.38%)
| data-sort-value="0"|unaffiliated
----  [[Reform Party USA]]<br /> [[Independence Party of New York]]<br/>[[Independent Party of Delaware]]
| data-sort-value="0"|
| data-sort-value="0"|[[David Brower]], [[Patti Smith]], [[Noam Chomsky]], [[Howard Zinn]], [[Phil Donahue]]
|-
|data-sort-value="2008"|[[File:Nader Gonzalez 08 Logo.svg|200px]]<br /><big>'''[[Ralph Nader presidential campaign, 2008]]'''</big>
| style="background:#fff;"|
|[[File:Matt Gonzalez talks to the press in San Francisco.jpg|150px]]<br />[[Matt Gonzalez]]
| data-sort-value="0"|[[File:Nader 2008 Ballot Access.png|300px]]
| data-sort-value="0"|$4.3 million<ref>{{cite web|title=Ralph Nader Candidate Summary, 2008 Cycle|url=https://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.php?cycle=2008&cid=N00000086|website=opensecrets.org|publisher=[[OpenSecrets]]|access-date=August 1, 2016}}</ref>
| data-sort-value="0"|738,475
(0.56%)
| data-sort-value="0"|unaffiliated
----
[[Independent Party of Delaware]]<br/>[[Ecology Party of Florida]] <br /> [[Natural Law Party (United States)|Natural Law Party]] <br /> [[Peace and Freedom Party]] <br /> [[Socialist Alternative (United States)|Socialist Alternative]]
| data-sort-value="0"|
| data-sort-value="0"|[[Howard Zinn]], [[Jesse Ventura]], [[Justin Jeffre]], [[Tom Morello]], [[Val Kilmer]], [[Rocky Anderson]], [[James Abourezk]], [[Patti Smith]], [[Jello Biafra]], [[Chris Hedges]], [[Phil Donahue]], [[Cindy Sheehan]], [[Sean Penn]]
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