Several political heavyweights will be on campus today — one week shy of election day — to spark debate about the decision facing Americans next Tuesday.
Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader and Gov. Jesse Ventura will appear at Rarig Center on the West Bank tonight to broadcast “Nightline” with Ted Koppel.
Additionally, feminist activist Gloria Steinem, musician Stephen Stills, environmentalist Robert Cox and human rights advocate Elizabeth Birch will speak at a “Choose or Loose!” rally tonight at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.
During the ABC special, Koppel will moderate a town-hall-style discussion on how third parties fit into the bipartisan-dominated political system.
The program will air live on KSTP channel 5 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The first 30 minutes of the program will be re-broadcast nationally on ABC at 10:30 p.m. Members of the audience were put on a list prior to the taping.
The”Choose or Loose!” rally at Cowles Auditorium, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. and sponsored by the state DFL party, will highlight the key differences between Vice President Al Gore and Texas Gov. George W. Bush on the abortion issue.
According to a prepared statement, state DFL party leaders said they want to remind voters that the next president will nominate new justices to the Supreme Court. Some analysts suggest the new administration might have the power to shape a court that would reconsider the Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion.
Although Minnesota is generally considered a shoo-in for the Democratic presidential nominee, candidates are paying closer attention to voter behavior here in a race that is one of the closest in decades.
Gore stumped for extra votes at a weekend rally on Nicollet Mall on Saturday. He appeared before thousands of state Democrats while flanked by other Minnesota political hopefuls.
According to the latest Star Tribune poll released Oct. 20, Bush leads the state with 44 percent of the vote. Gore has 41 percent, with Nader garnering 8 percent and Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan taking 1 percent.