Setback for Nader's presidential bid

1.00pm - By RUPERT CORNWELL

WASHINGTON - Ralph Nader's independent presidential campaign in the US has suffered a big setback with the refusal of the Green Party to endorse his long-shot bid for the White House this November.

The former consumer rights advocate ran as the US Greens' candidate in both 1996 and 2000, and had sought their endorsement - though not the formal nomination - this year.

Instead, however, the party nominated Texas lawyer David Cobb, turning its back on Mr Nader and his running mate Peter Camejo.

The decision means that Mr Nader will find it harder to get on the ballots in 22 states and the District of Columbia where the Green party already has a slot on the ballot. He now faces a state-by-state battle to collect enough signatures to qualify.

Making matters trickier still, the Democrats have signalled they will use every legal avenue to thwart the man who many Democrats believe cost Al Gore the White House four years ago - and who conceivably could do the same thing to John Kerry in 2004.

Last time around, Mr Nader won 97,488 votes in Florida, which George W. Bush eventually carried by 537 votes. In New Hampshire and West Virginia, which also went Republican, Mr Nader's votes may have been the difference between victory and defeat for Mr Gore.

In all, Mr Nader won 2.7 per cent of the popular vote in 2000. This year some polls show his support at anything up to 6 per cent. Most analysts, however, believe that even if he does get on the ballot in every state, he will be hard-pressed to match his 2000 performance.

- INDEPENDENT