Nader wants seat in debate audience

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader asked the Commission on Presidential Debates Tuesday for a seat in the audience at this week's forum.

Nader had requested to be included in the presidential debates, but was refused because of his low standing in the polls, The Hill reported. Now he is asking for a seat in the audience at the final debate to be held at Hofstra University in New York.

"In a spirit of fairness, since you won't allow us in the debates or release the secret polls that you rely on to figure out which candidates meet your threshold of 15 percent national support, I would like to ask that you allow me, and the three other third-party presidential candidates who are on the majority of state ballots, the common courtesy to at least have a seat at the debates among the audience," Nader said in a letter to Janet Brown, the commission's executive director.

Nader has said many polls don't mention his name and noted that when his name is included he polls better than when his candidacy is not named, citing the Sept. 24 Wall Street Journal/NBC poll in which he got 5 percent support nationally.