Welcome, but not: Third party candidates face uphill battles in US politics

Annie Andersen: DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS…

Graham Elwood, “This lesser of two evils two party system…”

Annie Andersen: IN POWER FOR ALMOST TWO CENTURIES.

Graham Elwood “…and Americans keep doing this, Keep drinking the cool aid.”

Annie Andersen: BEGS THE QUESTION… CAN A THIRD POLITICAL PARTY HAVE A SHOT AT WINNING?

TAKE SOT- Miles Taylor 

“IF WE WOULD GO START A THIRD PARTY, THAT’S THE MOUNT EVEREST OF POLITICK OBJECTIVES.”

Annie Andersen: MORE THAN 100 REPUBLICANS THREATENED TO FORM A THIRD PARTY LAST YEAR,

AND SOME DEMOCRATS ARE ALREADY DOING IT.   

[TAKE SOT- ANDREW YANG]

<<”57 PERCENT OF AMERICANS SAY THEY WANT A THIRD PARTY 60 SAY THAT BOTH PARTIES ARE OUT OF TOUCH RIGHT NOW ”

Annie Andersen:  IS IT RHETORIC OR WOULD THE VOTERS ACTUALLY FOLLOW?

CAN A THIRD PARTY CANDIDATE WIN THE WHITE HOUSE?

LET’S GET THIS STRAIGHT.

IN TODAY’S POLITICAL CLIMATE, THEY MAY!

PROFESSOR BERNARD TAMAS WROTE THE BOOK ON THIRD PARTIES. 

HE SAYS WITH TODAY’S SOCIAL DISCORD, A THIRD-PARTY CANDIDATE JUST MAY HAVE THE BACKING NEEDED TO WIN THE TOP SPOT.

BUT, IN ORDER TO SUCCEED, YOU HAVE TO BLOW UP THE TWO-PARTY SYSTEM. 

 [TAKE SOT-BERNARD TAMAS/

“EFFECTIVELY WHAT YOU’RE TRYING TO DO IS DISRUPT THE PROCESS. WHAT YOU’RE TRYING TO DO IS FORCE THE MAJOR PARTIES INTO SHIFTING.” 

Annie Andersen: RIGHT FROM THE START, THIRD PARTY CANDIDATES HAVE AN UPHILL BATTLE. 

FIRST, THERE ARE LOGISTICAL CHALLENGES.

RUNNING AS A REPUBLICAN OR A DEMOCRAT MEANS ACCESS TO YEARS OF ELECTION INFRASTRUCTURE. 

USUALLY, MAJOR PARTY CANDIDATES MAKE IT ONTO THE BALLOT AUTOMATICALLY, 

BUT WITH THIRD-PARTY CANDIDATES- NO SUCH LUCK.

IN 2016, FORMER REPUBLICAN EVAN MCMULLIN RAN FOR PRESIDENT AS AN INDEPENDENT. 

2016 SAMPLE BALLOT LOUISIANA SEC OF STATE

BUT INSTEAD OF BEING ON THE BALLOT IN EVERY STATE, HE WAS ONLY LISTED IN 11.

TAKE SOT- BERNARD TAMAS

<<” FOR MOST, THEY HAVE TO GAIN A LARGE NUMBER OF SIGNATURES. NOW THOSE SIGNATURES COULD BE AS LOW AS, LET’S SAY 1% IN SOME RARE CASES EVEN LOWER, BUT IN SOME STATES, YOU CAN GO AS HIGH AS AN ILLINOIS IT’S 5% OTHER STATES IT GETS EVEN HIGHER.”>>

Annie Andersen: AND THAT COSTS MONEY. 

MANY DONORS DON’T WANT TO GIVE MONEY TO A CANDIDATE UNLIKELY TO WIN, BUT WITHOUT MONEY, YOU DON’T STAND A CHANCE.

 -A CLASSIC CATCH 22.

THE NEXT HURDLE – IDEOLOGY.

SURE, THERE ARE DIFFERENT WINGS OF REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS… 

BUT OVERALL VOTERS KNOW WHERE THEY STAND ON MOST ISSUES. 

TAKE SOT- BERNARD TAMAS: 

<<”IT REALLY MEANS THAT CANDIDATES HAVE TO FIND ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO CLIMB THEIR WAY IN.”

Annie Andersen: THIRD, CANDIDATES ALSO NEED TO FIND A PATH TO VICTORY.

TAKE SOT- BERNARD TAMAS: 

<<”IF THEY’RE NOT PREPARED TO FIND A WAY OR CRITICAL ISSUE. IT’LL BE VERY HARD FOR THEM TO HAVE ANY IMPACT WHATSOEVER.>>

Annie Andersen: LIKE WITH INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE ROSS PEROT IN 1992. 

1992 ELECTION RESULTS SOURCE 270 TO WIN

HE WON 19 PERCENT OF THE POPULAR VOTE BUT NOT A SINGLE VOTE IN THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE. 

EVEN WITH THE UPHILL BATTLE, CANDIDATES AREN’T STAYING AWAY FROM RUNNING AS A THIRD-PARTY CANDIDATE. 

TAKE SOT- ANDREW YANG 

<<”WHAT I’M ASKING IS THE PEOPLE WHO ARE SICK OF IT TO COME TOGETHER AND SOLVE THE PROBLEM WITH ME WITH US THAT IS THE FORWARD PARTY.”>>

Annie Andersen: WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT AMERICA’S TWO-PARTY SYSTEM? DOES IT NEED A CHANGE?

LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW, AND BE SURE TO RATE THIS STORY ON OUR WEBSITE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS DOT COM.