Third party (United States)

In the context of the United States' political system, a third party is any political party organized in all or nearly all states other than the two current leading parties, which since the time of the American Civil War have always been the Democratic and the Republican parties.

History

Though often able to win election to local or state office, third parties rarely win more than a tiny percentage of the vote in national elections. One reason for this is that third parties usually come into being to promote a specific issue, one which either or both of the major parties eventually end up co-opting. Two other reasons are structural: In the United States' "winner take all" electoral system, a party must win a plurality of votes in order to take a Congressional seat or win a state's electoral votes in the Presidential election. This is in contrast to the parliamentary election systems of other countries, where seats are apportioned based on a party's share of the overall vote. Also, many states use ballot access laws to keep third parties off the ballot or force them to spend all their resources just to get on the ballot.

The last third parties to win electoral votes in a Presidential election were the American Independent Party in 1968 and the Libertarian Party in 1972. The last candidate (though not yet a member of a third party) to win a major portion of the popular vote was independent Ross Perot, who won 18.87% of the popular vote in the 1992 Presidential election.

Notable Presidential elections

1860

Abraham Lincoln is elected president, causing the formerly third party Republicans to supplant the Whigs as one of the nation's two major parties. the Republican Party is considered to have been the most successful third-party movement in United States history.

1912

Republican Theodore Roosevelt runs on a Progressive Party ticket in the 1912 election and garners more votes than Republican incumbent William Howard Taft. The split in the Republican vote propels Democrat Woodrow Wilson to victory with 42% of the popular vote, but 435 electoral votes.

In the 2000 Presidential election, George W. Bush wins the deciding state of Florida by fewer than 600 votes. Some Democrats accuse Green Party candidate Ralph Nader of having cost them the election, and in discussion of strategies for the U.S. presidential election, 2004 both parties weigh the costs to the Democrats of another Green presidential run.

Current U.S. third parties

Various other minor parties are given in the list of political parties in the United States.