(Photo: AP) Standing by his argument that there is too little difference between the Democratic and Republican parties, consumer advocate Ralph Nader announced on Feb. 22, 2004, he was running again for the presidency. Unlike four years ago, when he represented the Green Party, this time he is running as an independent. He has tapped longtime Green activist Peter Camejo as his running mate. Nader's candidacy in 2000 has been blamed by many Democrats for costing Al Gore the election. He appeared on the ballot in 43 states and Washington, D.C., garnering only 2.7 percent of the vote. But in Florida and New Hampshire, President Bush won such narrow victories that, had Gore received the bulk of Nader's votes in those states, he would have won the general election. Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe, who had personally urged Nader not to run, said Nader will not have the same impact this time. Republicans largely have declined to comment on any benefits a Nader candidacy would have for the president. Asked if he was getting into the race to be a spoiler, Nader replied: "A spoiler is a contemptuous term, as if anybody who dares to challenge the two-party system .. is a spoiler, and we've got to fight that.." His campaign themes are expected to include universal health care, campaign finance reform, fighting poverty and addressing environmental concerns. Nader's high-profile career as a consumer advocate got its start with his 1965 book “Unsafe at Any Speed,” a harshly critical look at U.S. auto manufacturing. He is the founder of numerous groups, including Public Citizen, Public Interest Research Group, Center for Auto Safety, Clean Water Action Project, Disability Rights Center, Project for Corporate Responsibility and Center for the Study of Responsive Law. The son of Lebanese immigrants, he graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University in 1955, and has a law degree from Harvard. He has never married.