Former Green Party candidate Ralph Nader announced Sunday he will enter the 2004 presidential race as an independent candidate.

Although urged by many in the Democratic Party not to run, Nader defended his decision, saying third-party candidates are necessary to give American voters real choice.

?It is an offense to deny millions of people who might want to vote for our candidacy an opportunity to vote for our candidacy,? Nader said when formalizing his presidential bid on NBC?s ?Meet the Press? Sunday morning.

Some Democrats point to the close 2000 election as evidence that he is detrimental to the party he most closely resembles ideologically. Many attribute Al Gore?s loss in Florida as due in part to Nader, who pulled many potential Gore supporters into the Green Party?s camp.

Nader argues his candidacy is needed to challenge the growing ?two-party duopoly? making the politics of Democrats and Republicans increasingly indistinguishable.

?[W]e need more civic and political energies inside the campaign to challenge this two-party duopoly that?s trending toward one-party districts all over the country,? Nader said.

However, many Democrats claim that extremely important distinctions exist between the two major parties.

?The truth is, there is a tremendous difference between Republicans and Democrats,? Don Eggert, chair of Students for Kerry, said. ?For Ralph Nader to say otherwise is absurd.?

Eggert argues that Nader?s decision to run results from a ?cult of the personality? causing Nader to put his own interests ahead of what is best for America.

?I think Ralph Nader?s decision showed that he is not concerned about beating George Bush – he is only thinking about himself,? Eggert said.

But Ben Manski, co-chair of the National Green Party, disagrees. He argued Nader?s candidacy is an important step in, ?confronting the corporatization of American politics.?

?It can only be a good thing for American politics that Americans have more choices,? Manski said.

Nader, who ran as the Green Party?s candidate in the 2000 presidential election, is campaigning as an independent this time around to get an early start on the election. The Green Party will not select a nominee until their national convention in June.

Although successful in attracting a significant number of votes in 2000, the large focus many Americans are placing on electability this election cycle may mean that Nader will find capturing a significant portion of the Democratic vote difficult.

?Electablity is the number one issue,? Eggert said. ?People want someone who can beat George Bush. Ralph Nader not only can?t beat George Bush, he can?t even come close.?

But some argue the electability philosophy among Democrats is self-defeating because it may lead to electing someone who will enact policies or practice politics not much different from those of President Bush. Manski points to democratic primary frontrunner Sen. John Kerry?s (Mass.) record of voting for the No Child Left Behind Act and the Patriot Act as evidence that if elected president, Kerry would not be significantly different from his predecessor.

?I think we do need to get George Bush out of office. We also need to clean up Congress. Unfortunately, John Kerry has been part of the problem, not the solution,? Manski said.