Nader Reaches Out to Sharpton and the Black Vote

November 6—In a final campaign swing through the Northeast, Ralph Nader went to New York City this afternoon for a 3:30 rally at Al Sharpton’s National Action Network headquarters in Harlem. Sharpton has been encouraging followers to hold their votes.Though he has reportedly endorsed Gore, Sharpton likes Nader because the Green has paid attention to minority communities in places like Washington, D.C.

Nader’s rallies are often packed with young white students, but yesterday’s superrally in Washington, which drew 10,000 to the MCI Center, drew a larger share of black voters than usual. Nader’s plea for the cause of civil rights was buoyed by the appearance of Randall Robinson, head of TransAfrica, and Cornel West, the Harvard prof. So far Nader’s is the only campaign that talks about the role of Muslims in America, whom Nader argues are the most besieged of the country’s new immigrants.

Nader is now racing time, trying to gather the 5 percent of the vote needed to qualify the Green Party for federal matching funds in the next presidential election. Following the Sharpton event, Nader goes to Boston for a rally at Boston University, then to Portsmouth for another gathering at the University of New Hampshire. There will be a midnight rally in Portland, Maine. Tomorrow the candidate flies to Philadelphia for a final appearance before taking the train back to Washington.