Poor Mike

Mike Gravel is still on the ballot. Against all odds, the Alaskan senator has stuck through longer than many other candidates - longer than many of the big names. He is even in third place overall in total delegates for the Democratic presidential primary - and his total fundraising has reached a whalloping $379,795 - which is a lot more than people predicted.

Gravel actually got .2% of the Democratic votes in Ashley County, Arkansas - which is a big improvement over his early statistics. While Michigan voted for Gravel an astonishing .3% (because Obama was not on the ballot...), states such as Mississippi were much more typical. Mississippi gave Gravel .1% with 587 votes, and he earned the same .1% in New Hampshire.

Mike Gravel is maximizing the publicity he does get by funneling it toward his nonprofit organization The Democracy Foundation (DF) and Philadelphia II, both of which "advance democracy and empower the People." DF has proposed The National Initiative for Democracy, a new law amending the constitution and "equipping the people with the central power of government, lawmaking...to control the abuses of government."

And as a last hurrah, Gravel has held to his promise of refusing to endorse the Democratic candidate. The senator endorsed Jesse Johnson, who is seeking the Green Party nomination, on Thursday and will travel and campaign with him as their schedules permit.

Mike Gravel: "My political party long ago walked away from taking the necessary steps that will safeguard our nation's and our children's futures. I worked dedicatedly throughout my career as a U.S. senator to protect the precious resources our country had within its boundaries as well as to mitigate the negative impact our businesses and individuals were having on the planet. I have watched the ever-important job of stewarding these gifts vanish from the political landscape, and I hold the Democratic Party leadership responsible for giving up that fight."