The Ralph Nader campaign says they have collected enough signatures to get their candidate on the New Hampshire ballot in November. But Democrats complain the Nader supporters met the state's deadline with help from signature gathers paid for by a Republican consultant. And Democrats are crying foul. New Hampshire Public Radio's Raquel Maria Dillon has more.
When President George Bush was campaigning at a Stratham picnic last Friday, Kittery, Maine resident Emily Sawka was working one last temp job to tide her over until school starts. The temp agency had sent her out on a job – gathering signatures to put Ralph Nader on the ballot under the guidance of a man named Steve.
SAWKA :07 he told us we'd be spending the day in the farm parking lot, soliciting signatures of republicans gathered there for the picnic.
Sawka says "Steve" instructed the temps to tell voters at the rally that Bush wouldn't have won New Hampshire in 2000 without Nader. And if they were asked, Sawka says, the temps were told to say they were being paid by the Nader campaign. Sawka says she didn't want to lie, so she walked off the job.
SAWKA :14 this campaigning for Bush under thin guise of campaigning for Nader was unethical by any standards. Worsened by the fact that we weren't even true members of any campaign. From temp agency, political mercenaries if you will.
Sawka wouldn't say what party she belonged to. She just thinks it's disingenuous to collect petitions to put Ralph Nader on the ballot, if she suspected someone else was footing the bill.
Sawka told her story at a press conference in Concord organized by Democrats. Democratic State Chair Kathy Sullivan says the Republicans will do anything to win.
SULLIVAN :20 they'll say it wasn't coordinated. Then who was Steve and why did Steve have a pass to get into picnic? we're not supposed to think there's any collusion going on between republicans, all just a coincidence? All just falling out of air at same time. well we weren't born yesterday. Who's paying for this? Who made arrangements?
Last weekend, local newspapers reported that Dave Carney, a nationally-known Republican political consultant, and his consulting group, Norway Hill Associates, hired the temp agency. Carney says he was contacted by "Choices for America," which he says is a non-profit advocacy group that helps candidates get on ballots around the country. He says the hired temps were not instructed to say they were with the Nader campaign.
CARNEY :12 that is one person out of maybe 2 or 3 dozen. One interpretation. That is not true. If she was misinformed by her temp company, no one else was. Disgruntled person who didn't want to participate.
But Kathy Sullivan argues that the issue goes deeper than what the temps were told. She wants to know who paid the temps and whether that payment is a political donation.
SULLIVAN :12 whether there's a payment, whether it's an in-kind donation, whether it's coming from a corp. Norway Assoc. is a NH corp. There are certain laws prohibiting corp activity in Fed elections. This is a fed election.
Carney first told the Union-Leader that he didn't know if Choices for America would pay him for hiring the temps. He now tells NHPR he's not getting paid. Either way, he says helping someone get on the ballot is not a campaign contribution.
CARNEY :20 only think illegal here is Kerry campaign and efforts to intimidate civil rights of Nader and his supporters. … I think it's despicable. Democracy should be about allowing people to have choices. Rather than using technical lawyerese to keep competition away.
The Nader campaign won't yet say exactly how many signatures they've gathered.
RIZZIO :03 we have healthy margins in both congressional districts.
Aaron Rizzio is heading up Nader's own petition effort in New Hampshire. He says Ralph Nader wants to get on the New Hampshire ballot to talk about the issues. He says Nader won't accept donations from corporations, but he will accept donations – and votes – from Republicans, as long as they're not trying to sway the election.
RIZZO 11/:20 no way to distinguish who signed petition at what event. no party affiliation. We just mail them out to towns.
New Hampshire has no law against signature gatherers misrepresenting themselves to voters. Town clerks who verify the petitions won't even be able to distinguish the signed petitions gathered by paid temps from those gathered by Nader volunteers. Today is the deadline to submit them to the towns for verification.
For NHPR News, I'm RMD.
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