Although he failed to win the presidency in 2000 as the Green Party nominee, over the years Ralph Nader has inspired activists from around the nation. Calling themselves "Nader's Raiders," Nader and his followers advocate for laws to protect consumers, workers, taxpayers, and the environment; combat corporate abuse; and attempt to increase citizen access to government.

Ralph Nader was born in 1934 in Winsted, CT, to Lebanese immigrants Rose and Nathra Nader. He was raised in Winsted, the small town in northwestern Connecticut where his mother ran the Highland Arms Restaurant.

In 1955 Nader graduated magna cum laude from Princeton, and in 1958 he earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School. In 1963 Nader took a job as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Labor, working for Assistant Secretary of Labor Daniel Patrick Moynihan while writing for The Nation and The Christian Science Monitor.

In 1965 Nader wrote a book called Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile, and sued General Motors for invasion of privacy. This case led to the auto industry making drastic design changes for safer motor vehicles. In 1971, with the money he won in the settlement, Nader launched Public Citizen, which has six branches: Congress Watch, Health Research Group, Litigation Group, Critical Mass Energy Project, Global Trade Watch, and Buyers Up.

Nader's organizations have been responsible for many changes in consumer protection laws, such as the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), the Consumer Product Safety Administration, and the Freedom of Information Act of 1974.

Ralph Nader has written, co-written, or sponsored many books, including Action for a Change, Corporate Power in America, Taming the Giant Corporation, Verdicts on Lawyers, The Menace of Atomic Energy, Who's Poisoning America, Winning the Insurance Game, and The Frugal Shopper. In November 1980 Nader resigned as director of Public Citizen in order to devote his energy to other projects, including his run for the presidency in 2000.