Nader to attend the U.S. presidential debate

BOSTON (Reuters) - Green Party nominee Ralph Nader, excluded from all three presidential debates, obtained a ticket to the Tuesday showdown between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore, Nader campaign aides said.

"He will be in the audience," said Nader spokesman Jake Lewis. "I think he'll just be monitoring it and then he'll be available for comment afterward."

Though more than 100 supporters were gathered at the Boston campus of the University of Massachusetts to protest Nader's exclusion, Lewis said the longtime consumer advocate will not disrupt the debate.

Nader received the ticket from a local college student, his campaign said.

The Commission on Presidential Debates, a bipartisan group that has managed the encounters since 1988, excluded Nader and other third-party candidates from the debates last week. The group cited the candidates' failure to secure the support of at least 15 percent of voters.

The latest Reuters/MSNBC daily poll showed Nader at 5 percent, with Reform Party presidential nominee Pat Buchanan at one percent.

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