Wayne Allyn Root

Ralph Nader recently filed with Nevada's Secretary of State to appear on the presidential ballot as an independent candidate, but will anyone notice?

Past statewide elections confirm the old adage that every vote counts. When Harry Reid (D-Searchlight) first ran for U.S. Senate in 1974, he lost by just 624 votes to Republican Paul Laxalt, who also lost his first U.S. Senate bid by fewer than 100 votes ten years earlier. In 1998, Reid edged out then U.S. Rep. John Ensign (R-Las Vegas) by 428 votes. In both instances, third party candidates drew many times the margin of victory and potentially had a significant impact on the outcome.

Could Nader's candidacy make a similar difference? History suggests it may not.

Running as the Green party candidate in 2000, Nader garnered 15,008 votes -- representing about 2.5% of the vote total -- but less than George W. Bush's 3.5 percent margin of victory over Vice President Al Gore. Despite an even closer race in 2004 in which Bush defeated U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Ill.) by 2.6%, the 4,838 votes cast for Nader represented just 0.6% of the vote -- and one fourth of his impact from the prior election.

Although Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik attracted even fewer votes than Nader in 2004, circumstances are very different this year. The Libertarian party is running a prominent conservative, former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr (R-Ga.), and his running mate is Las Vegas native and TV celebrity Wayne Allyn Root. Especially in Nevada, it's possible that U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has more to worry about from third party candidates than his opponent.

LAS VEGAS-Alas, no Las Vegan will top the Libertarian ticket for the presidency.  It appears, however, that Las Vegas oddsmaker Wayne Allyn Root will take the vice presidential spot on the ticket behind former Ga. Congressman Bob Barr, who won the Libertarian nomination this weekend in Denver.

Politicker.com's own Jeremy Pelzer was at the Libertarian Convention this weekend and has some outstanding coverage of the even leading to Root's securing the V.P. nod.

Libertarian presidential nominee hopeful Wayne Allyn RootLAS VEGAS—Las Vegas’ very own presidential candidate, Wayne Allyn Root, learned last week that his race for the Libertarian Party’s nod for the presidency has gotten a bit harder.  Announcing his resignation from the Democratic Party, former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel has cast his lot with the Libertarians and is now seeking the nomination that until recently seemed headed Root’s way.

Root, reached for comment today, sounded unconcerned about Gravel’s entry and even optimistic about what it could mean for the Libertarian Party.

“[Gravel]’s not a Libertarian,” said Root.  “There’s nothing about him that is Libertarian.  I don’t think the Libertarian Party has any interest in a senator that was defeated twenty-five years ago who doesn’t believe in anything that resembles Libertarian philosophy.”

In this video from Feb. 15, Las Vegan Wayne Allyn Root discusses his presidential bid and takes a few shots at the prospective Democratic and Republican nominees.

Libertarian presidential nominee hopeful Wayne Allyn RootLas Vegas- Wayne Allyn Root, the Las Vegas odds-maker and television personality who last May announced his candidacy for president, this weekend won the 2008 California Libertarian Convention’s presidential straw poll.

"I'm grateful to the California delegates to have earned their trust and support,” said Root. “To have so convincingly won is a real boost to our campaign to secure the Presidential nomination."

Party Platform 101: Libertarian leaders discuss writing a state platform with party founder David Nolan (near left) and Colorado chair Travis Nicks (near right).Henderson- The Libertarian Party, one of the United States’ longest-enduring and most pervasive third parties, held its annual leadership conference in Henderson this weekend at the Sunset Station Hotel & Casino.  The event drew party leaders and activists from around the country and featured training workshops on topics like filing with the Federal Elections Commission, planning a state convention and communicating with the media.

“It’s an opportunity to learn more about the trade, about raising money, about campaigning,” said Shane Cory, executive director of the national Libertarian Party, “the nuts and bolts of running a political party.”

With so many of the Libertarian faithful on hand, it was also an opportunity for Libertarian presidential candidate hopefuls to woo potential delegates to the party’s national convention in May.  Seven of the party’s fourteen announced candidates attended the conference and were scheduled to debate Saturday evening including Las Vegan Wayne Allyn Root, winner of the Missouri Libertarian straw poll, and George Phillies, winner of the unofficial Arizona Libertarian primary.