29 February 2008

Independents Mull Presidential Candidacies

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he will not run in 2008

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said February 28 that he will not run as an Independent for president. (© AP Images)

By Michelle Austein
Staff Writer

Washington -- While the major political parties are still in the process of selecting their nominees, Independents and third-party candidates are considering their own bids for the presidency. But one well-known Independent, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, announced February 28 that he will not be a candidate.

The Republican and Democratic parties long have dominated the American political landscape. Since 1856, every president elected by U.S. voters has belonged to one of those two parties. But there are more than 30 other political parties, known as third parties. Candidates also can run as Independents, without any party affiliation.

Each state sets its own rules for how Independents can get their name on the presidential ballot. To meet the filing deadlines for all states, most independent candidates interested in entering the presidential race will declare their candidacy by mid-March.

Although it has been difficult for a third party or Independent candidate to gain support in a presidential election, some political experts thought there was an opportunity for Bloomberg, a popular mayor known for working with leaders in both parties, to make an impact. (See “Long Odds Face Independents Running For President.”)

Bloomberg left the Republican Party to become an Independent in June 2007, a step that sparked rumors that he was considering a presidential campaign. Speculation increased after he attended a January conference with leaders from both parties, some of whom had been cited as potential third-party candidates. 

But in a New York Times op-ed February 28, Bloomberg wrote, “I listened carefully to those who encouraged me to run, but I am not -- and will not be -- a candidate for president.”

Bloomberg said he was not running for president because he believes the current set of candidates can provide Independent-style leadership.

“I never believed that either party had all the answers,” he wrote. “In the weeks and months ahead, I will continue to work to steer the national conversation away from partisanship and toward unity.”

Ralph Nader speaks to Connecticut voters in 2004. He recently announced that he again is running for president. (© AP Images)

Bloomberg has not endorsed a candidate, but said he would campaign for one if he or she advocates an Independent approach to governing.

RALPH NADER ENTERS THE RACE

Third-party candidate Ralph Nader announced February 24 that he again will seek the U.S. presidency, but his past performances suggest he has no chance of winning.

Nader's most notable run for the presidency was in 2000 when, as the Green Party candidate, he received 2.7 percent of the extremely close national vote in a race that also included George W. Bush and Al Gore.

Although Nader failed to win any Electoral College votes in 2000, many Democrats believe that Nader's 2000 bid cost Al Gore the election. Just 537 votes separated Bush and Gore in Florida. Nader received 97,000 votes in Florida, and exit polls indicated that these voters would have favored Gore over Bush had Nader not been in the race. These Democrats have said that without Nader on the ballot, Gore would have received sufficient votes to win Florida, giving him enough electoral votes to win the presidency.

"Well, you know [Nader's] being on the Green Party prevented Al Gore from being the greenest president we’ve ever had,” Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton said February 24. “And I think that’s really unfortunate.”

Democratic candidate Barack Obama also commented on Nader's decision to run. “Ralph Nader deserves enormous credit for the work he did as a consumer advocate,” he said. “But his function as a perennial candidate is not putting food on the table of workers.”

Nader has not yet announced if he will run on a party ticket, such as the Green Party, or as an Independent.

Public opinion surveys since the 1990s consistently have shown a high level of popular support for the concept of a third party. But in spite of such support for a third party, these parties face many obstacles. The most significant is the fear among voters that if they vote for a third-party candidate, they, in effect, will be "wasting" their votes. Voters have been shown to engage in strategic voting by casting ballots for their second choice when they sense that a third-party candidate has no chance of winning.

For more on U.S. political parties, see “Political Parties in the United States.”