Ralph Nader, the politician and consumer advocate most famous for his 2000 presidential election run, is coming to Cal Poly on Sunday to campaign for his third major White House bid.
Nader and his vice-presidential running mate Matt Gonzalez are currently touring California universities to raise awareness for the campaign, which Nader says is being unfairly shut out from the upcoming presidential debates.
President of Cal Poly’s political science club and political science senior Stephen Kristoff said his club welcomes the candidate’s visit. “We feel as a non-partisan political science club that all views concerning the future of this country are important,” he said.
Nader’s tour will address the importance of open debates during the presidential election season. There will also be an unrestricted question and answer session after his speech during which audience members can ask about any topic they want, said Nader’s Southern California coordinator, Jamie Korls.
Nader plans to address issues he says concern the majority of Americans. These include single-payer health care, United Sates policy in the Middle East, the need to crack down on corporate crime, sustainable energy solutions, the defense of civil liberties and the need for living wages.
“A majority of the American people support these issues.” Nader said on NBC’s “Meet the Press ” in February.
On the episode, Nader announced he was entering the race as the candidate for the Peace and Freedom party. His name is now on 45 state ballots.
Nader ran for president on the Green Party ticket in 2000 and as an Independent in 2004.
“If the Democrats can’t landslide the Republicans this year, they ought to just wrap up, close down, emerge in a different form,” he responded to critics of his 2000 bid on the show.
Some Democrats accused the 74-year-old of taking away votes from the Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore in the 2000 election, consequently denying Gore the presidency.
“I’m interested in hearing what a third party candidate has to say. I think he’ll say some things you wouldn’t normally hear from the candidates in the two major parties,” psychology junior Benjamin Thompson said.
The Nader/Gonzalez rally will start at 7:30 p.m. this Sunday in the Alex & Faye Spanos Theater located in the Performing Arts Center.