Looking for a sign that the Lehigh Valley is the center of the political universe? You might head down to 1244 W. Hamilton St. in Allentown, where Ralph Nader’s presidential campaign will soon open its Pennsylvania headquarters.

Nader’s campaign is setting up its only state shop in Allentown, the campaign said Tuesday, choosing the Valley because of what it described as a high concentration of previous Nader support in the area.

‘‘We thought, what would be the smartest place to jump-start [a campaign]?’‘ said David Peyton, a national coordinator for the campaign.

Nader, an independent candidate for president this year, was kicked off the Pennsylvania ballot in 2004 after his petitions were successfully challenged.

In 2000, when he ran as a Green Party candidate, he collected 2.1 percent of the statewide vote. He was more successful in the Valley, where he grabbed 2.9 percent in both Lehigh and Northampton counties.
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