After Libertarians reject RFK Jr., what does success look like for third-party candidates?
After Libertarians reject RFK Jr., what does success look like for third-party candidates?
They booed former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate who currently leads in polling in some swing states. They rejected Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the independent candidate who is polling at 15% in some polls.
The most successful 3rd party candidate in modern political history was H. Ross Perot in 1992.
He won 0 states and 0 electoral college votes, but got 18.9% of the popular vote.
Nobody since has come close, not even Perot himself in his aborted 1996 run where he hit 8.4%.
Exactly. This is a well written piece on the history of the effects of third-party candidates on first-past-the-post elections.
Until we implement ranked-choice voting or a similar alternative, voting for a third-party candidate is equal to abstaining from the election.
Sincerely,
A guy who voted for Nader in 2000 who then could only protest Bush and Cheney’s blood for oil wars.
The only time a protest vote makes sense is if your state is going to have an overage anyway.
I voted Nader in 2000 as well due to:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipper_Gore
and:
https://www.ign.com/articles/joe-lieberman-outspoken-video-game-critic-mortal-kombat-obituary
But I also knew, in my state, voting for Nader made zero difference.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_United_States_presidential_election_in_Oregon
Aaaand it didn't.
Multnomah Gore - 188,441 - 63.52%
Bush - 83,677 - 28.20%
Nader - 21,048 - 7.09%I'd prefer Approval Voting, RCV has really been over-sold and it practically the same to FPTP anyway. In RCV elections, the first round winner ultimately wins the race 96% of the time. That article tries to claim it somehow makes a difference in campaigns, but in a practical sense, it doesn't. Campaigns rarely say "rank me second," because of course not. Who would aim for second place? It also has unfortunate consequences with disenfranchising poor and minority communities, because they end up submitting invalid ballots at a significantly higher rate.
Anyway, so if you're all like "stop attacking RCV it's better than FPTP!" Well, I agree, but use that energy to run a referendum campaign and switch your local elections to Approval Voting instead. It's used in both Fargo and St. Louis and we're seeing the same positive effects that RCV has without the voter disenfranchisement.
"What does success look like for third-party candidates?" - non-existent until we get past FPTP. Why is this a headline?
Haha no shit it "looks like" 270 ec votes...
Because in a democracy we can vote for whomever we choose. Biden, Trump, third party, write in, no vote.
Seems the party that's going to save democracy doesn't like democracy very much.
Unfortunately our democracy is flawed, and our election system punishes similar candidates who run against each other in the general election.
Because of this, our political parties are more like coalitions, made up various groups with overlapping goals, who choose one candidate through a primary, so that they don’t cannibalize each other in the general election.
This means that those who run third party anyway are either looking for publicity, cynically playing the spoiler, or fools.
Why change a system that has helped people with their beliefs stay in power?
Ah but not just anyone can win...only the person who gets more than 270 ec votes... otherwise Congress just gets to choose
Good, for the one's that don't deny accepted science and aren't insane like RFK, Jr.
Vice presidency'