Ralph Nader's impact on the 2004 race remains unclear after he failed to qualify for the ballot in two key battleground states. The AP reports that a Pennsylvania judicial panel said Nader "had forfeited his right to run as an independent by accepting the nomination of the national Reform Party." The ruling "strikes a fresh blow against Nader's campaign, which has been swamped with challenges to its nominating petitions across the country." In Missouri, officials "said Monday that Nader won't be on the presidential ballot there. Secretary of State Matt Blunt had said Aug. 18 that Nader supporters had failed to submit enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot." The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports the Commonwealth Court ruling "isn't technically the end of the road for Nader and his running mate, Peter Camejo. Nader's attorney can appeal the decision to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court." And in Virginia, the Washington Post editorializes, "Should Mr. Nader be kept off the ballot in Virginia, a potential battleground state, for missing the noon petition-filing deadline? We certainly don't think so."

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