Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader, left, and Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Md., meet the press before the start of their meeting, Tuesday, June 22, 2004, in Washington. Nader met with more than a dozen members of the CBC Tuesday and the Democratic lawmakers asked him to drop out of the presidential race; a step Nader rejected. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

WASHINGTON - The Congressional Black Caucus challenged Ralph Nader yesterday to call off his independent bid for the presidency, warning that his candidacy threatens its most pressing goal - returning a Democrat to the White House.

"We let him know that we consider this to be the most important election of our lifetimes," said the caucus' chairman, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, a Baltimore Democrat. "We said, 'Mr. Nader, you have a right to run, but we have not heard a reason to run.' We said to him, 'If you're really our friend ... you need to move on.'"

Nader, lagging far behind President Bush and Sen. John Kerry in fund raising and support but potentially a decisive factor in some swing states, shrugged aside the caucus' fervent plea.

"I'm staying in the race for the long haul," he said after the closed meeting, as he has previously when pressed by Democratic critics who fear he could tip a close race to the president. "Bush is self-destructing, and we're giving it a nudge."

Those in attendance said passions ran high during the hourlong session in a Capitol meeting room packed with 23 caucus members, Nader and his newly named running mate, Peter Camejo, a California investment adviser.

One Democrat after another tried to sway Nader, participants said. At one point, Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick of Michigan pointedly told the consumer-rights advocate: "You can't win."

Rep. Barbara Lee of California was equally blunt.

"I told Mr. Nader: 'A vote for Ralph Nader is really a vote for George Bush,'" she said. "We can't risk this Bush presidency taking hold again."

Nader said he responded by describing the possible spillover effect that his presidential run could have on congressional races as "a plus for those races" and suggesting that "a lot of smart people in the polling area have been wrong again and again."

Cummings expressed disappointment that the caucus was unable to convince Nader that his bid could bleed off enough votes in some close states to cost Kerry the election - just as many Democrats believe Nader's presence on the ballot in 2000 cost Al Gore that election.

"We're on the same page on health care, education, jobs, the environment," Cummings said. "Now we pray that he will sync his conscience with his conduct."

© 2004 Baltimore Sun

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