Tuesday, January 23 is New Hampshire’s presidential primary. Because of its historical influence on the trajectory of candidates, it’s seen as one of the most important primaries. We’re comparing this year’s primary with those of the past in an effort to make connections in historical patterns.
In 1992, Ralph Nader was a write-in for both the Democrat and Republican primaries in New Hampshire. This was not the first time Nader flirted with running for president — in 1972, he had been approached by the New Party (which later folded into the People’s Party) with the proposal to run for president as their nominee, but he declined. He was again encouraged by the Citizens Party in 1980 to run as their presidential nominee, but he again declined.
In this video, watch as Ralph Nader operates behind the scenes in New Hampshire in 1992.
There are strong similarities and differences between Nader and Trump’s vying for primary election. Both are arguably outsiders — Nader in 1992, and Trump in 2016. Both had unconventional paths into politics. Nader was a lawyer previously, while Trump was a celebrity real estate developer. But their core beliefs are extremely different. Nader favors rationality and reasonableness, while Trump is the polar opposite.
While he didn’t ultimately become president, Nader was written in over 3,000 times for both the Democrat and Republican nominee in New Hampshire in 1992, and is evidence of how an outsider can infiltrate mainstream politics at the highest level.
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