Ralph Nader

Ralph Nader is an American lawyer, author, politician, and political activist, born in Winsted, Connecticut on February 27, 1934. He is affiliated with the Independent Party and is known for being a four time candidate for the United States presidency in 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008. At a young age Ralph was interested in law, reading copies of the Congressional Record in high school. He received his law degree in 1958 from Harvard University. His main concern coming out of college was the safety of auto design and in 1965 published the book Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-in Dangers of the American Automobile. He decided to turn his focus into politics and in 1996 was nominated as the Green Party candidate for president. He received less than 1 percent of the vote. Nader accepted the nomination for the Green Party Candidate again in 2000 running on the a campaign that addressed the gap between the rich and the poor. He was criticized for helping George W. Bush become president by taking votes away from the Democratic candidate Al Gore. He received 2.7 percent of the vote in that election. In 2004 he ran under the Independent Party and received 0.3 percent of the vote and ran again in 2008 and received 0.5 percent of the vote.