PORTLAND, Ore., April 6 (UPI) -- Ralph Nader's Portland, Ore., rally did not result in enough signatures to get on the state's November ballot for U.S. president.
The long-time consumer advocate drew 741 supporters to a rally, 259 fewer than the 1,000 needed, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.
Nader had been counting on using his traditionally strong showing in Oregon to make it the first state to put him on the 2004 ballot.
"Even the best basketball player doesn't get a slam dunk every time," Nader told the crowd, acknowledging the numbers fell short.
Greg Kafoury, head of Nader's Oregon campaign, said Nader would make use of another option under Oregon law -- collecting 15,000 signatures over a three-month period, rather than 1,000 signatures at a single gathering.
The Nader campaign estimates they will need at least 1.5 million signatures to qualify for ballots in all 50 states.
In the last few weeks, Nader has formed a new Populist Party and volunteers have fanned out to collect names to meet varying signature requirements in each state.
