Oregon Public Broadcasting

Ralph Nader declared his candidacy for President of the United States ... again ... over the weekend.

Now Nader's voters and supporters in Oregon are grappling with what the decision means.

Greg Kafoury is a lawyer in Portland and one of Nader's closest advisers.

He says he wasn't 100-percent on board with the decision before Nader announced, on NBC 's 'Meet the Press'.

Greg Kafoury: “I'd had some qualms. And now I don't. I've become much more supportive of it, since I heard him on Meet the Press on Sunday.”

Nader's Green Party candidacy is criticized by Democrats for allegedly taking critical votes away from Al Gore in 2000.

Kafoury says Nader's candidacy won't have an affect on the presidential race in Oregon this year, because he doesn't expect the race to be close.

But Nader's  latest presidential bid is already rocking the boat in the state's Democratic Senate primary.

State House Speaker Jeff Merkley is running as the 'establishment' candidate.

And his campaign circulated an old 'Letter to the Editor' written by opponent Steve Novick praising Nader's 1996 run for president.

Kafoury, the Nader adviser, says progressive Democrats are more likely to vote for a progressive candidate such as Novick.

Greg Kafoury: “I think particularly if Steve Novick were the nominee of the Democratic Party for the U.S. Senate, he would in particular be helped by having Nader on the ballot.”

Nader's campaign has previously taken credit for helping elect Washington Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell in 2000.

Nader says he drew liberals to the polls that year who wouldn't have voted at all if he weren't in the race.

And that gave Cantwell extra support in a Senate race she ultimately won by less than 5000 votes.

For its part, Novick's campaign spent the day Tuesday distancing itself from Nader.

Novick's spokesman says the difference is that Novick is dedicated to reforming the Democratic Party from the inside - whereas, he says, Nader is hurting it from the outside.