Florida Court Counts Nader In

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. —  Ralph Nader is back on Florida’s ballot -- probably for good this time. The Florida Supreme Court ruled 6 to 1 Friday that he could run as the Reform Party presidential candidate in the November election.

The decision met today’s deadline for mailing 25,000 ballots to overseas voters, most of them military personnel, and ended a dizzying two weeks during which Nader was on and off the ballot.

“This is a case that should have been thrown out of the courts sooner,” said Kevin Zeese, a spokesman for Nader.

Also Friday, a judge ruled that Nader would stay on the presidential ballot in Colorado. In New Mexico, a judge barred Nader from appearing on the state’s ballot.

As the Green Party candidate in 2000, Nader attracted 97,000 Florida votes, and most Democrats and many Republicans agree that those votes cost Democrat Al Gore the presidency. President Bush won the state by 537 votes after three weeks of recounts and legal fighting -- much of it before Florida’s high court.

This year, the Reform Party of Florida submitted Nader to the state as its candidate. The Florida Democratic Party and several individual voters challenged his certification.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe issued a statement Friday saying: “The fact that Ralph Nader secured a place on the Florida ballot by means of the Pat Buchanan Reform Party speaks for itself. In state after state, Nader has become an extension of the Republican Party.”

The key legal challenge was that the Reform Party was no longer a bona fide national party and didn’t nominate Nader in a national convention -- as required by Florida law -- but in a conference call.