Nader: Obama ‘Pressured’ Democrats From Primary

Consumer crusader and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader says the White House applied political pressure to stop Democrats who were considering a primary challenge against the president.

Nader, who had been searching for a prominent Democrat to challenge President Obama, told The Hill: "I hate to say but it’s over.” He went on to explain that he had planned to organize a slate of six candidates to primary Obama on a variety of issues.

“The minute any name was mentioned ... they made the calls,” Nader said. “They jumped like a cat.”

Nader said it’s understandable why pressure from the Obama administration would deter liberal candidates. He noted by way of example that if former Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., had opted to run against Obama, his future in the Democratic Party would be finished.

Meanwhile, Obama’s reelection campaign denies it discouraged potential primary candidates. In response, Nader said that it wasn’t necessarily an official effort, but certainly came from people with close ties to the White House.