WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Consumer advocate Ralph Nader, blamed by many Democrats for their loss of the White House in the 2000 election, said on Sunday he is launching another independent campaign for the White House.
Nader, who will turn 74 this week, announced his long shotpresidential bid on NBC's "Meet the Press" saying that neitherthe Democrats nor the Republicans were addressing problemsfacing Americans.
Nader called Washington "corporate occupied territory" thatturns the government against the interests of the people. "Inthat context, I have decided to run for president," he said.
Nader also ran for president in 2000, when he got about 2.7percent of the national vote as the Green Party candidate. ManyDemocrats blamed Nader for draining votes from Democrat Al Goreand tipping the election in favour of Republican George W.Bush.
He also ran as an independent in 2004, but got only a tinyfraction of the vote.
Nader dismissed the idea that he could hurt Democrats whenvoters go to the polls in November.
"If the Democrats can't landslide the Republicans thisyear, they ought to just wrap up, close down, emerge in adifferent form," Nader said.
Democrats said they do not expect Nader to have much of animpact.
"When you get into running for your third or fourth time, Idon't think people will pay that much attention to it, and Iwouldn't see it having any effect on the race," Virginia Gov.Tim Kaine said on "Fox News Sunday."
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama, asked onSaturday about a Nader candidacy, said, "My sense is that Mr.Nader is somebody who, if you don't listen and adopt all of hispolicies, thinks you're not substantive."
Obama added that he did not mean to diminish Nader.
Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee, appearing onCNN's "Late Edition, said he thought Nader "always wouldprobably pull votes away from the Democrats, not theRepublicans. So naturally Republicans would welcome his entryinto the race and hope that maybe a few more will join in."
(Reporting by Donna Smith; Editing by Vicki Allen)
(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visitReuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online athttp://blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)
