Posted on Wed, Mar. 17, 2004

Nader to visit Crawford

Associated Press

AUSTIN - Independent presidential candidate Ralph
Nader will visit Texas this weekend as he works to
earn a spot on the state's November ballot.

Nader's visit includes a Saturday stop in Crawford -
home of President Bush's ranch - to join peace
activists in condemning the Bush administration and
the war in Iraq.

"This is Bush's Western White House," said Debbie
Russell, the Austin-San Antonio regional coordinator
for the Nader campaign. "(Nader) is joining other
Texas peace and justice groups in speaking out against
the current administration's aggressive foreign and
domestic policies."

The campaign swing also will include stops in San
Antonio and Austin on Friday, and a trip to Dallas on
Saturday.

Nader supporters began last week collecting the 64,000
signatures he needs as an independent candidate to
make the presidential ballot in Texas. Campaign
organizers said they do not have a running tally of
signatures, but they are encouraged by public interest
thus far. They said they hope to gather 95,000
signatures to make up for any signatures that turn out
to be invalid.

"We have people all over the state circulating
petitions," said Karen Elenich, state director for the
Nader campaign.

The Crawford rally, which is scheduled to mark the
one-year anniversary of the U.S.-led war against Iraq,
is part of a worldwide protest called the "Global Day
of Action Against War and Military Occupation."

Officials in Crawford, population 700, said they are
mostly concerned about traffic congestion during the
rally, the Waco Tribune-Herald reported.

Crawford also is hosting on Saturday a citywide garage
sale, a rodeo and the St. Paul Lutheran Church
Cemetery Association's second annual chili and bean
cook-off.

Friday will mark Nader's second trip to Texas since
announcing his bid for the presidency on Feb. 21. His
first trip included campaign stops in Houston, Austin
and San Antonio.

Nader needs to gather the required signatures, which
would make up 1 percent of votes cast for president in
the state in 2000, by May 10, according to the Texas
Secretary of State's Office.

Only registered voters who don't vote in Democratic or
Republican primaries can give valid signatures. Their
signatures will be invalid if they signed and voted on
either ticket in the March 9 primary.

In 2000, Nader won 137,994 votes, or 2.15 percent, in
the Texas presidential general election.

ON THE NET

March and Rally to Protest the Bush Administration
Policies: www.marchcrawford.org