Barr, Nader Each on 40+ States' Nov. Ballots

Best-known third-party candidates get 3.3% in polls, but experts say that may ebb

By Nick McMaster, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 19, 2008 2:48 PM CDT

(Newser) – Voters in most states in the US will see Ralph Nader and Bob Barr on the presidential ballot, Politico reports. Nader made it in 45 states and the District of Columbia, though the independent missed Texas. Barr’s Libertarian bid made the ballot in 44 states. The two combined for about 3.3% in recent polls—enough to make both major parties nervous.

“If the race remains close, anything could tip the difference,” said one pollster, who pointed out that support for both was waning, and could ebb further as Nov. 4 nears. “People who are unhappy with a candidate say they will vote for a third party, but they get more dissatisfied with the possibility of helping the greater evil win as the election gets closer.”

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Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party candidate for president, is on the November ballot in at least 44 states, and has undertaken legal challenges in several others where he was excluded. (AP Photo)

Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader is on the ballot in 45 states and the District of Columbia, Politico reports. (AP Photo)

Bob Barr, left, accompanied by Constitutional law expert Bruce Fein, gestures during a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, Wednesday, June 25, 2008 (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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People who are unhappy with a candidate say they will vote for a third party, but they get more dissatisfied with the possibility of helping the greater evil win as the election gets closer. - Scott Rasmussen, pollster

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Barr, Nader Each on 40+ States' Nov. Ballots