Local Democrats on Monday echoed the national party's disappointment that Ralph Nader is again running for president, but most don't think the consumer advocate will steal too many votes from the eventual Democratic nominee.

Nader, who captured around 2.7 percent of the popular vote in 2000 under the Green Party banner, announced Sunday that he's running again this year, this time as an Independent.

Most local Democrats would prefer Nader stay on the sidelines this year.

"I don't like it, and I wish he wouldn't run, but I don't think he'll have as much of an impact this time around," said Helena Sen. Mike Cooney.

Nader was a non-factor in most states in 2000. In Florida and New Hampshire, though, Bush won razor-thin victories, and shifting most of the Nader votes in those states into Al Gore's column would have given the Democrat the election.

"The landscape is different now," Cooney said. "Four years ago, the Democrats were coming off eight years in office, and some people may have gotten complacent. Now, so many people view the president in such a negative way, and those people want to see change. They will not necessarily vote with their hearts, they will vote where they can make a difference."

Nader admitted Monday that he faces an uphill challenge to simply get his name on the ballot in many states. Without a party affiliation, he's ineligible for some $18 million in government funding for the primary season, and by failing to garner 5 percent of the vote in 2000, Nader is also out of the running for taxpayer funding in the general election.

"He had the Green Party behind him last time, and that was a fairly active organization at the time," said Bob Ream, chairman of the Montana Democratic Party. "I'm disappointed he decided to do it again, but I think he'll have relatively little impact."

"That guy has got to know when to quit," said Helena Rep. Dave Gallik. "How is his filing for the presidency going to accomplish anything? If he wants to accomplish his agenda, there are much better ways to do it. He ought not jump into the race."

Rep. Christine Kaufmann, who admitted her position may be surprising to some people, said that while Nader represents important issues for the people of Montana and America, the party needs to be unified behind the Democratic nominee for the best hope of beating George W. Bush.

"I surprise myself by saying that because I tend to be on the edge of my own party, and I think there's a role for third parties in this country," Kaufmann said. "I have appreciated Ralph Nader's role in politics, and I think his message about corporate power and what it's doing to America is vital, but I wish he would find another way to get it across."

The 6 percent (24,000 votes) of the vote Nader received in Montana in 2000 was a higher percentage than he got in most states. But the Treasure State went so solidly for Bush that even putting all of Nader's votes in the Gore column wouldn't have come close to making up the difference for the Democrat.

Lewis and Clark County Commissioner Ed Tinsley is also National Committeeman for the Democratic Party and will represent Montana as a super-delegate, voting at the party's convention this summer in Boston. He too disagrees with Nader's decision to run again, but doesn't feel the Independent will hurt his party's chances come November.

"I think people recognize what happened last time," he said. "There were places where a vote for him didn't hurt, like Montana, and people used it as a protest vote and I understand that. But people understand the impact it had nationwide."

Like many Democrats, Tinsley believes Nader's ego may be getting in the way of sound political strategy.

"It's become more about him than the cause, and the cause is sending the Bush administration packing back to Austin," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

John Harrington can be reached at 447-4080 or john.harrington@helenair.com.