AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- A federal judge Wednesday denied independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader's bid to get on the Texas ballot.
Judge Lee Yeakel rejected Nader's challenges to the 60-day petition deadline and a requirement that independent candidates gather more signatures than third-party candidates.
Nader spokesman Kevin Zeese said the campaign would appeal the ruling.
"It's obviously unfair to have third parties and independents treated so differently," he said.
Nader's campaign failed to collect the more than 64,000 signatures required by May 10 to qualify for the Texas ballot.
Texas Secretary of State Geoff Connor said at the time Nader filed his lawsuit the Texas law had withstood legal challenges for more than 20 years. He noted independent candidates, such as Ross Perot in 1992 and 1996 and Pat Buchanan in 2000, had managed to get on the ballot.
Zeese said Nader has qualified to get on the ballots of about 15 states so far and still hopes to reach the original goal of 40. He said the last ballot deadline is Sept. 17 in Vermont.
