Why Aren’t Third Party Candidates Successful? Third parties offer voters an alternative to the same two parties that run in the presidential election every four years, often with more concrete goals and views, yet there has never been successful third party candidate. For over one and a half centuries, the Republicans and Democrats have held a duopoly over the United States government (Diamond 2015). People have been growing more and more frustrated in their government and the two parties, so why haven’t third-party candidates gained any ground in the political sphere?
USLegal defines a third-party candidate as “a candidate who does not belong to the two main US political parties, the Republicans or the Democrats (“USLegal”). Two-thirds
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Despite the majority of voters disliking the other two candidates, even people who agreed with Sarvis and preferred him as a candidate were afraid to vote for him (Conroy 2013). They didn’t want to waste their vote on somebody who could not win. Sometimes, voting for a third-party candidate can be seen as “worse than wasted,” such as in the 2000 election (Disch 2002). In winning 2.7 percent of the vote, Ralph Nader, the Green Party candidate drew away votes from Al Gore, which may have lost Gore the election, and didn’t even achieve the 5 percent needed for public financing (Disch 2002). The election of 2000 showed the biggest problems of voting for a third-party candidate. Green voters gained nothing from voting for Ralph Nader, and allowed a party even further away from their own preferences to gain power. Another hurdle that third-party candidates face is getting the funding they need to be viable. According to Mark McKinnon, cofounder of the bipartisan group, No Labels, “the table stakes to get on the ballot is a minimum of $30 million” (Conroy 2013). It costs a third-party candidate a huge sum of money to even become a real candidate, even before knowing whether or not they can convince other people to support him. Because of this, potential candidates will not run unless they feel they can win or get something out of it. Beyond the difficulties of simply existing as a third party,
In order to avoid losing voters to third parties, the two major parties are often forced to adopt positions championed by third parties. To fully comprehend why third parties exist, it is important to first be able to identify the numerous challenges they face in order to gain any sense of credibility.
Although no third-party candidate has ever won a U.S. presidential election, I disagree that a third party candidate has only slightly affected the elections. Third-party candidates rarely win elections, but they can split parties. That can affect the outcome of an election when a third-party candidate is especially strong, or when the race between the two other candidates is especially close. Third-party candidates exert influence by focusing the election on particular issues and taking votes away from major candidates. During the 2000, election, Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader took votes away from Democrat Al Gore, thus contributing to the loss to George Bush. The most successful of the third parties in any one election was
To conclude, the evidence suggests that the US have a prominent two party system but third parties are not completely insignificant as we have seen examples of them making an impact, so they do have their importance. It is likely to stay a two party system forever as the republicans and democrats are never going to vote for a change in the voting system as then they would be handing their own power over which they are unlikely to do.
In the beginning, the Press doesn’t find the Third Party candidates very newsworthy. Third party candidates have to try much harder than their major
It is defined as a system where two major political parties dominate voting at nearly all elections that take place and the elected members form part of either party. The two major Parties in America are the Democrats and Republicans. The arrangement is such that all the parties who are elected form part of wither parties and it is very rare that a third party win any seat in the legislature. There are three types of third parties. These are the single issue, the candidate driven and the ideological. The single issue is made up of the peace and freedom and the independent party. The candidate driven is built up of the reform, Bull Moose and the green. The libertarian and socialist form part of the ideological party.
Today’s economy centers itself around the political parties today that are created with the intent of efficiently demonstrating the many shared opinions of thousands of individuals across the United States. Among them all, the two parties that attract the most attention are Democrats and Republicans who are often seen constantly creating tension among each other and campaigning/competing for political control in our country. But there are other parties such as third or minor parties whom are denied chances to express their views. These parties are considered minors in the increasingly competitive environment of the United States. From a public standpoint, minor/ third parties are considered less attractive because they are formed with the intent
“It is a natural evolution of our mass consciousness to begin to see third parties as a viable option; it is reflected in the corrupt and broken two-party system.” Michelle Augello-Page, an author and writer, uses this quote to speak to the frustration Americans feel about the two-party political system. Since the 1850’s, the Democrats and Republicans have received the majority of the popular vote, while third party candidates struggle election after election (Schechter). The two major party candidates don’t always speak to the issues many Americans want to be addressed. Therefore, Americans must consider voting for third party candidates to ensure democracy works for everyone.
This is largely because there have only been two parties for so long, and these two parties have made it such a point to make their separation of ideals and beliefs blatant, so the vast majority of the voters have for the most part picked a definitive “side”, so to speak, and have registered as a member of the corresponding political party, that caters the most to their individual ideals. Because of this, it has made it very hard for any smaller parties to gain enough support to
This puts into perspective the disparity that Republicans and Democrats hold against other parties, it would be huge for a third party to get one percent of the vote. He discusses the importance that the Libertarians get at least one percent of the vote because it would help them break through a large barrier. This article concludes by saying that the LP has a good chance of breaking the typical third party barrier. They have the most support as a third party, and among others, they do the best in all
In a political atmosphere where it is easy to be grouped up in either conservative or liberal, it is harder to see such an easy split more and more each day. Non-traditional candidates are now emerging into the political arena that in prior elections would have been scoffed at. Whether we are talking about the unusually high polling Libertarian candidate, Gary Johnson, the Democratic Socialist Bernie Sanders or the Authoritarian Republican Nominee, Donald Trump, It is getting harder and harder to ignore the rise they are having. The two major political parties will have to adapt to these emerging ideologies or face the threat of the dreaded “third party”.
America is vastly known as a country boundlessly pursuing equality in all facets of life. In this seemingly endless quest for equal opportunity, there has been one lurking negation; our election system. The addition to equal representation in public funding and on the ballot will create variability and allow Americans to entrust their vote in a political format that more closely aligns with democratic philosophy. Therefore, a shift away from a bipartisan, a two party, dominated election system would not only be a healthy change for American electoral satisfaction, but for the future of third party politics. Unfortunately affluence and inherent wealth have played a large role in this divide between a true democratic election and our present biased, broken, and benyne system.
In the political system of the United States many barriers and obstacles exist for Third Parties. In the current style of United States politics the Media plays a crucial role in the system, and also posses numerous obstacles for Third Parties. The media often tends to focus on the ?Two Party Horse Race? and neglects the third parties involved in the race. A Third Party Presidential Candidate can not enter into a televised debate unless he has atleast fifteen percent of the popular vote in five major polls. Then there is the process of getting on the ballot in
In recent discussion of Democrats and Republican parties, a controversial issue has been whether or not the U.S. should expand their options from more than a two party system. On the one hand, some argue that there should be more choices other than between the two Democrat Party and Republican Party. From this perspective, voters have more of a variety when they vote. On the other hand, some argue that the U.S. should remain as a two party system. In the words of Gary Johnson, one of this view’s main proponents, “The Republicans and Democrats have spent decades trading power back and forth between themselves, and in doing so, have managed to install a two-party duopoly that completely controls America’s political process.” According to this view, Democrats and Republicans are dictating other parties opportunities to get elected. In sum, then, the issue is whether there should be other options rather than a choice between the Democrat and the Republican Party. I agree with Gary Johnson’s view that the Democrat and Republican Parties are controlling America’s
In my opinion, a constituent should cast their vote for a party that represents his or her core values. Although the third party’s power is limited, I do not think people should vote for the major party candidate they dislike less. Hence, if a voter agrees with the third party’s values, they should cast the vote for that party. Moreover, supporting a third party can raise important concerns ignored by the two major parties. Secondly, it may give voters more choices amongst candidates. Finally, new parties may increase voter interest, since less than half of eligible voters participate in the voting booth. After all, the main purpose of creating political parties is to increase political participation.
party which is not in office in a certain district, may be dissuaded by a lesser known