Third Parties:
What role do they play in
American politics?
Ross Perot: 1992, 1996
Ralph Nader: 2000, 2004
Warm-Up: The Government
Club T-Shirt
Today, we will be selecting the color for the new
government club T-shirt. The choices, as determined
by early voting, are blue and yellow.
Which would you vote for?
Third Party
We have a problem. Red, who was eliminated during
the early voting has made a comeback as the T-shirt
color.
What might the supporters of Blue and Yellow do?
Ideas:
 Either of the parties can absorb red and
become purple or orange.
 Either party can use red for printing or
design.
 The parties can ignore red.
Third Party
Jesse Ventura, Independent
Governor of Minnesota, 19992003
Any political party
organized in at
least a few states,
other than the two
current leading
parties
History of American Third
Parties
Third Parties in the U.S. receive
great attention, but in fact “have not
assumed the importance that all the
academic attention on them
suggests.”
History of American Third
Parties
No minor third party as ever come close to
winning the presidency
Only eight third party candidates have won any
electoral votes
Only five, including Theodore Roosevelt in 1912
and Ross Perot in 1992 have won more than 10%
of the popular vote
Formation and Role of
Third Parties
Third parties influence elections by
revealing sectional and political divides
and bringing light to new issues.
Third Parties usually form around a
social cause and social activists.
A third party neglected by the two
major parties is able to affect the
electorate more than if their views were
co-opted by one of the major two.
Types of Third Parties
Sectional Parties
Example: Strom
Thurmond
and the Dixiecrat
Party ran on a
segregationist
platform in 1948
Economic Protest Parties
Example: James
Weaver and the
Populist Party won
over 1 million
popular votes and 22
electoral votes in
1892
Ideology Parties
Examples:
Socialist,
Communist, and
Libertarian
Parties
Libertarian Party 2000 campaign ad
Charismatic Personality Parties
Example:
Theodore
Roosevelt and the
Progressive Bull
Moose Party in
1912
Specific Issue Parties
Example: Prohibition Party in 1892
Combination Parties
Example: George
Wallace in 1968
(American Independent
Party)
o
o
o
Dynamic leader with a
Southern base
Anti-civil rights
Won 13% popular vote &
46 electoral votes
Purpose of Third Parties
Ralph Nader and
the Green Party in
2000
“The electoral progress of third parties is in
direct proportion to the failure of the two
major parties to incorporate new ideas.”
Purpose of Third Parties
Lincoln-Douglas
Debates, 1858
Though very rare, a third party may replace one of the major parties
 1856, the Republican Party replaces the Whig Party
Purpose of Third Parties
Third Parties have influence
 Major parties often take
on the ideas of third
parties
 In 1992, both the
Republican and
Democratic Parties took
on Perot’s reform
government ideas about
reducing the deficit
George Bush (Republican), Ross Perot
(Reform), & Bill Clinton (Democrat) during
1992 Presidential debate
Purpose of Third Parties:
Once the major parties
incorporate their ideas,
third parties burn out
Populist Party platform
was assimilated into the
Democratic Party in
1896
William Jennings Bryan, Democratic
candidate for President, 1896
George Wallace,
American
Independent
Party, 1968
Election
http://www.wku.edu/Library/onlinexh
• What issue do you think
George Wallace’s
American Independent
Party was promoting?
http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/t/third_party.asp
•What is the
artist trying
to say about
voters who
choose third
party
candidates?
T.R. Vs. Taft, Election of 1912
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/election-cartoons/images/mother-of-presidents.gif
•In 1912,
both Taft and
Roosevelt
were fighting
for the same
voters. What
do you think
was the result
of TR’s
candidacy in
1912?
The Bathtub
www.cartoonstock.com/directory/t/third_party.asp
Why is it so
difficult for third
parties to gather
support?
Independent Voters?
http://3rdpartyblogger.com/political-cartoons/political-cartoons-2/
Why might
third parties
be attractive
to voters?
Nader & the Reform Party 2004
What is
the artist
saying
about
Nader’s
2004 run
for
president
as the
reform
candidate?
The Libertarians…
www.independentpoliticalreport.com
What
issues do
you think
the
Libertarian
party might
be
concerned
with?
The Nader Oval Office
http://politicalhumor.about.com
• What is the artist
communicating
about the Green
party agenda?
The Tea Party
True Third Party or Political Movement???
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20002529-503544.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_16220002529-503544.html
The Tea Set
http://politicalhumor.about.com
• Sometimes
third party
issues can be
difficult to
stomach.
Don’t Compromise on Me!
http://politicalhumor.about.com
• Getting the
message across is
more important
than cutting a deal
with the other
parties.
Marriage Proposal
http://politicalhumor.about.com
• The two
major parties
are not
necessarily
looking to
absorb the
third parties.
Sometimes
they can hurt
more than
help.
Tea Party Throws GOP
Overboard
http://politicalhumor.about.com
• The reverse is true:
not every third party
is looking to be
picked up by one of
the majors.
Tea Totaled
http://politicalhumor.about.com
• The two major
parties need to be
careful they do not try
to please everyone. It
is impossible and can
cause the party to lose
control of the
message.
Hat in the Ring
http://politicalhumor.about.com
• It can take
time for a third
party to be
taken seriously.
It may never
happen.