Nader’s campaign disavows new petition drive in Nevada

Kirsten Searer

Thursday, June 17, 2004 | 9:23 a.m.

A supporter of independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader said Wednesday he will try once again to collect signatures to put Nader on the November ballot, but Nader's campaign disavowed the effort.

Stan Vaughan said he gathered about 4,800 signatures for Nader in May but found out last week they were invalid because the petitions did not list a vice presidential nominee.

Now Vaughan said he will list Civil Rights activist Victoria Jackson Gray Adams as Nader's running mate. He said Adams' name is listed on some political Web sites as the vice presidential nominee.

Adams was one of the founders of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, a group that registered black people to vote during the Civil Rights Movement.

"She's a fantastic, fantastic choice," Vaughan said. "She has a very, very important and significant biography."

Listing Jackson, however, presents another problem: Nader does not plan to name a vice presidential nominee until later this month, said spokesman Kevin Zeese. Zeese said he expects the petitions gathered with Adams' name to be thrown out.

"They're acting on their own," Zeese said. "Ralph is planning on picking a vice presidential candidate before the end of the month. They're collecting signatures for somebody who's not really running. We disavow that activity.

Even if Nader doesn't name a vice presidential nominee until the end of the month, supporters still will have enough time to gather the needed 5,000 signatures before the July 9 deadline, Zeese said.