Ralph Nader, a hopeful presidential candidate, submitted 5,500 signatures to the Maine Secretary of State’s office today.

This is more than the 4,000 needed.

The Portland Press Herald has details here.

Nader ran for President in Maine in 2000 and 2004. This year he hopes to challenge presumptive nominees Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain. Other possible candidates are Green Independent Cynthia McKinney and Libertarian Bob Barr.

In 2000, Nader got 5.7 percent of the vote, running against Democrat Al Gore, who got 49.1 percent; President Bush, who got 44 percent; Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan, who got 0.7 percent; Libertarian candidate Harry Browne with 0.5 percent and Constitution Party candidate Howard Phillips with 0.1 percent.

In 2004, he topped the other two third-party candidates on the ballot – with one percent of the vote. 53 percent voted for Democrat John Kerry, 44 percent voted for Republican President Bush, 1 percent voted for Nader and less than half a percent voted for Libertarian Michael Badnarik and Green Independent David Cobb.