Matt Gonzales - link

Perennial presidential candidate Ralph Nader on Thursday chose a San Francisco city politician as his candidate for vice president this year.

Nader, whom many Democrats fault for president George Bush's election to the White House in 2000, said Matt Gonzalez, former president of the San Francisco board of supervisors, shares his vision of an America rid of corporate influence in politics.

"He understands that what we are trying to do is make this a better stronger democracy," Nader said at a press conference.

Gonzales was the Green Party candidate for San Francisco Mayor in the 2003 race, losing in a very close race (the photo above is from his 2003 campaign website).

I'm very familiar with Gonzales' politics and style, and will have more to say about him and his political path and potential in future posts - but he has to be one of the most honest, high-integrity politicians I've ever come across. This has a high potential to pull progressives away from the Democratic camp, and puts some pressure on Obama to select a progressive running mate.

Meanwhile, here is Matt's Wikipedia bio.