Independent candidate Ralph Nader's efforts to get his name on presidential ballots in important swing states are becoming mired in legal challenges and charges of fraud by Democrats, who have mounted an extensive campaign to keep him from becoming a factor in this year's election.
With Republicans in several states acknowledging that they are bankrolling and gathering signatures for Nader, local Democratic parties across the country, aided by a group of lawyers calling themselves the Ballot Project Inc, have initiated state-by-state campaigns to stop him.
Recent polls show that Nader could draw at least 2 percent or 3 percent of the vote in more than a dozen states where the race now appears close enough for him to alter the outcome, most likely to the detriment of Senator John Kerry, the Democratic nominee, and in favor of President George W. Bush.
"The Democrats are making this as difficult and as debilitating for him as possible, making him expend blood, sweat and tears for every inch," said Charles Cook, a nonpartisan analyst who tracks races in every state.
"He has only so many hours in the day and so many resources. And to the extent that he's tied up trying to get on the ballots, he's not getting any kind of message across," Cook said.
So far, only three states have closed the door on Nader: Georgia, Oklahoma and Indiana. He seems close to getting on the ballot in 11 states, though he could still face challenges in some. He has filed petitions in about 20 others and is awaiting rulings on their validity. He has yet to file in 18 states.
Most of Nader's deadlines come this month: The due dates for 23 states fall from Aug. 2 to Aug. 24, meaning he has had to meet almost daily deadlines across the country while fending off lawsuits.
He is entangled in an assortment of legal challenges, many in states that may be the most contested in November. He is in court in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona and West Virginia, and faces potential suits or administrative challenges in Oregon, Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and Maine. He is also in court in Texas and Illinois, which are not battlegrounds but where his challenge to state ballot requirements is diverting his time and resources.
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