Nader Won't Be on the Ballot in Arizona

PHOENIX, July 2 -- Supporters of Ralph Nader on Friday abandoned their effort to place the independent candidate on the presidential ballot in Arizona after Democrats challenged thousands of signatures.

Nader's campaign had submitted more than 22,000 signatures to Arizona election officials June 9, far more than the 14,694 valid signatures required by state law to compete against President Bush and Democratic challenger John F. Kerry on Nov. 2.

In a suit last week, two Democratic voters, backed by the state party, questioned the validity of Nader's petitions and other documents. The Democrats said more than 70 percent of the signatures were invalid.

As a Maricopa County Superior Court judge prepared to hear arguments, Nader campaign attorney Richard K. Mahrle conceded there were "technical errors" in the petition and said Nader would not contest the suit.

Judge Mark Armstrong ordered that Nader be kept off the state ballot.

Nader spokesman Kevin Zeese said a review by the secretary of state's office found that the campaign fell short of the required number of valid signatures. He said the campaign does not have the resources to fight an aggressive legal challenge and accused Democrats of harassment. "There's no question that deep-pocketed Democrats don't have much of a sense of fair play," he said.

In their lawsuit, the Democrats alleged Nader's petitions were signed by thousands of unregistered voters, that some of those collecting signatures were convicted felons and that other collectors did not meet residency requirements.

Nader appeared on Arizona's ballot in November 2000 and received 45,000 votes.

He suffered a setback last week when the Green Party, which has ballot lines in 22 states and the District of Columbia, declined to endorse him. He has been endorsed by the Reform Party, which has ballot lines in at least seven states.