Source 3:
Larry Sharpe, the candidate for NYS Governor as a Libertarian, is a prime example of third party negligence. Sharpe stands for legalizing marijuana and wants to maintain rights to gun owners, which appeases both left and right wings. Not to get confused as an Independent, but a Libertarian exercises ultimate freedom to their own rights and refuses to have a government tell them what they do. However, not complete anarchy, unless youâre far there in the political compass, but donât want a limit of their rights. Sharpe acknowledges that if people see youâre neither Democrat or Republican, you shouldnât even be looked at. Sharpe calls politics a rich man game, and he is not wrong, you only lead in polls if your political establishment backs you or if youâre wealthy. The biggest barrier he claims is the system itself as itâs mainly a two-party government. Money could be the biggest problem but refuted by Donald Green, whoâs a political science professor at Columbia University, claims itâs the actual government system that gives no benefits to parties in second or third place. The interviewer sums it up by introducing Duvergerâs Law which if you award one office, you have two parties vying for that aforementioned office.
Winning an election is basically a winner take all system and the stakes are higher when there are only two parties competing for that office. Sharpe is putting his all in actually racking up voters and showing he can make a change as governor for New York State. Going live on social media, visiting towns his opponents wouldnât care to visit, public events, etc. People who are affected by Sharpeâs rhetoric compare it to Trumpâs âMake America Great Againâ slogan but apply it to what Sharpe wants for New York. Although, realistically, a third party stride may be rare to ever happen again but trying is key. Third-party votes are sometimes depicted as protest votes which would seriously hurt a candidate in specific states, like Florida during the 2000 election, where Nadler received nearly 100,000 votes while Bush-Gore were neck and neck around the 2,700,000 vote range, which ultimately led Bush to gain more votes than Gore by a difference of 537 votes.
*https://www.nbcnews.com/video/why-can-t-third-party-candidates-win-1348512835713
Source 4:
The election of 1968, where the last and biggest third-party stride occurred by George Wallace of the American Independent Party, managed to carry five states, 46 electoral votes, and nearly ten million popular votes. Wallace managed to show that the impossible can actually happen with the strides he made. Third parties are usually associated with mainly âprotest votesâ as third parties are deemed to never make it to any seat in office by how unpopular you are. Protest votes are basically associated with dissatisfaction for the contenders on the ballot as the main two parties that everyone votes for is Democrat or Republican. Wallace managing to rack up these achievements denied Humphrey, the Democrat presidential candidate, to win against Nixon. The achievements made by Wallace can be seen as protest votes and frowned upon by either side of the spectrum, both left and right. The right can say Nixon couldâve had more votes, or the left could say Humphrey wouldâve been able to win if Wallace wasnât a choice. However, what Wallace has accomplished could be set as a precedent that a third-party can actually make strides and they could study from what Wallace did.
This election wasnât the first time a third-party was able to make strides, but by how big the third party managed to affect the election is whatâs historic. Who knows whenâs the next time a third-party would even be able to get as near as Wallace did. Although Wallace appeased to the deep south and was a hardcore segregationist, his achievement was actually managing to have an impact. Modern-day third parties are usually forgotten about or rarely ever mentioned because the United States is so dominated by either Democrat or Republican, which is beginning to be obsolete. I wouldnât say a third-party ever getting a seat in Congress or elected anywhere is non-existent nor impossible, but itâs definitely hard modern-day as nobody cares for what a third-party could stand for due to never being able to get a chance.
