WASHINGTON — Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader named Green Party activist Peter Camejo as his vice presidential running mate Monday, adding to his ticket a two-time contender for governor in California who once ran for president as a Socialist.
Nader's selection of Camejo gives further shape to a left-leaning, antiwar campaign many Democrats fear will spoil their effort to unseat President Bush.
It bolstered Nader's quest to win an endorsement from the Greens at their national convention, which begins Wednesday in Milwaukee. If Nader succeeds, he could win ballot access in 22 states -- including California -- and the District of Columbia.
Camejo also improves Nader's access to an important constituency. A fluent Spanish speaker of Venezuelan descent, Camejo plans to campaign vigorously for Latino votes coveted by Democrats and Republicans.
For all those reasons, many Democrats were unsettled by the emergence of a Nader-Camejo ticket.
"If there was any question in the minds of Democrats whether or not Ralph Nader could be a factor in the upcoming election, today's announcement should make that answer crystal clear," said Tricia Enright, a Democrat who is leading a group seeking to woo Nader supporters to vote for Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry.
"This should serve as a wake-up call to progressives and Democrats that the stakes are too high," said Enright, president of TheNaderFactor.com.
Nader, who introduced his running mate at a news conference here, praised Camejo as an activist who fought racial discrimination in the South in the 1960s, rallied for farmworkers and opposed the Vietnam War.
"He's put his feet in a lot of marches," Nader said. "He broadens our range. He stands to communicate very well with the Latino community and African American community."
Camejo, 64, who lives in Folsom, Calif., is chairman of Progressive Asset Management, which specializes in "socially responsible investing." He served three years as a trustee for the Contra Costa County Employee Retirement Assn.
In 1976, he ran for president as the candidate of the Socialist Workers Party and collected about 90,000 votes nationwide. He did better in 2002 as the Green Party nominee for governor of California, winning about 393,000 votes statewide, or 5.3%.
Last year, he offered himself as a replacement for California Gov. Gray Davis in the recall election won by Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger.
