ASHINGTON - Greg MacArthur, grandson of the billionaire John D. MacArthur, seems a most unlikely player in the effort to win votes for Ralph Nader's presidential campaign. MacArthur would save millions of dollars from George W. Bush's plan to cut estate and income taxes. And as the producer of a children's video called ''Where does my garbage go,'' MacArthur shares environmental concerns with Al Gore.
But starting today, MacArthur, whose late grandfather was one of the nation's three richest men, is pouring some of his own money into an unprecedented and independent pro-Nader advertising campaign that says much about what is happening in the campaign's final two weeks.
MacArthur is spending more than $300,000 on ads that urge people to vote for the Green Party nominee - but only in states where either Gore or George W. Bush is far ahead. Massachusetts, which has been mostly ignored by both major campaigns, is one of the states being targeted.
In other words, MacArthur wants voters to back Nader, but not if it means helping to elect Bush by draining votes from Gore. Yesterday, in an indication of the tightness of the race, MacArthur pulled most of his ad buy out of California because Gore, who once appeared far ahead in the state, has slipped into a relatively tight contest with Bush.
''This is not a backdoor effort to elect Bush,'' MacArthur said in a telephone interview from his Manhattan home.
Asked why he is spending some of his fortune to back Nader instead of helping elect someone who would cut his tax bill by millions over several years, MacArthur responded: ''My feeling is that money is somewhat absurd. People are much too obsessed by it.''
Of course, such words come more easily from a person who is among the top 1 percent of taxpayers, a group that has received extra attention from both campaigns this year. But MacArthur's effort to help Nader - without helping Bush - underscores the motive of some supporters of the consumer advocate.
That motive is not to elect Nader, which even the most fervent backers agree will not happen. Instead, it is to garner 5 percent of the national vote. That is the threshold set by the Federal Election Commission for the Green Party to be considered a significant political party, enabling it to receive federal matching funds worth at least $7 million in 2004. If that happens, according to the theory of MacArthur and other Nader supporters, then the Green Party will be in position to run a major presidential campaign in 2004.
Nader, who spent just $5,000 to run a little-noticed campaign for president in 1996, is spending $5 million this year. Analysts said that he has enough support in six or seven states to determine the outcome of the campaign. Those states, where Nader is between 3 percent and 8 percent in the polls, are Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Florida, and perhaps Michigan. The ever-tightening race, however, means Nader could make a difference in even more states, including California.
The Gore campaign, which until recently had ignored Nader, has begun a low-key effort to undercut him, warning that support for Nader could elect Bush. Nader has responded by saying that both major parties are corrupt and that a vote for him will not be wasted.
That theme is echoed by MacArthur's advertising campaign.
''Why voting for a candidate who can't win is the smartest thing you'll ever do,'' says one ad, which is slated to run in The Boston Globe, The Boston Phoenix, The New York Times, and newspapers in Texas and Colorado. The ad explains that the race is all but over in states such as Massachusetts and urges voters to help the Green Party attain the 5 percent level of support.
The ad says that it is paid for by ''Citizens for Strategic Voting.''
Who are the citizens? They are one, as it turns out: MacArthur. MacArthur, in turn, says that he has talked to many friends and others who agree with him, so he said ''it is a tiny stretch. I am the citizen with money.''
Indeed, MacArthur has enlisted some celebrities to unveil the ad today, including the Hollywood couple Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon.
MacArthur's grandfather made his fortune in the insurance business, but he did not believe in passing his wealth to his children, which is why the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has billions of dollars to give away. Greg MacArthur, 51, a former Associated press reporter in Paris, inherited much of his wealth in his 30s through a company established by his late father, J. Roderick MacArthur.
Greg MacArthur has long been a Nader friend and supporter. MacArthur produced a public television series on the need for overhaul of the campaign finance system, and he views the private financing of political campaigns as corrupt.
MacArthur said he made the decision this week to pull the ads from the Los Angeles Times and the San Francisco papers because recent polls show that the race in California has tightened enough that a strong Nader vote could swing the state to Bush. He referred to a poll by the Public Policy Institute of California, conducted Oct. 11-18, that found Gore leading Bush, 44 percent to 39 percent, with Nader at 6 percent.
MacArthur said the ads will continue in Massachusetts, where he is confident Gore will win easily, as well as in Texas, New York, and Colorado. But David Friedman, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Democratic Party, urged Bay State voters not to take a Gore victory for granted.
MacArthur said voters in Massachusetts and his other targeted states should have no concern.
''This is aimed at those who might consider voting for Nader but are so frightened of a Bush presidency that they would vote for Gore or sit out the election,'' MacArthur said. Still, he added: ''I would personally vote for Nader no matter where I live.''
