You may recall that Ross Perot received 17% of vote in 1992 POTUS election which helped throw the election to Bill Clinton who only received 42% of vote. Of course George H. W. Bush was a lousy candidate with his push for a New World Order and failed 1988 campaign promise of no new taxes.
This is main concern of a 3rd party, e.g. it could serve as a spoiler in case of 2028 perhaps more so for the Republican nominee than the Democrats.
Elon Musk wants to launch a competitive third party. It likely wouldn’t be easy
Elon Musk says he’s forming a new political party, perhaps to compete for key congressional contests. It likely won’t be easy.
The polarizing billionaire had been a close adviser to President Trump, but began floating his idea for the America Party after their very public falling out and Musk’s criticism of Trump’s newly enacted domestic policy bill, largely because it’s expected to add trillions to the national debt.
It’s unclear if Musk — who in May said he would scale back his political spending — will actually try to turn his plan into reality. But he said his proposed party is aimed at providing a political home to centrist voters — or, as he put it, the “80% in the middle.”
Trump himself has ridiculed the idea, writing that “The System seems not designed for [third parties]. The one thing Third Parties are good for is the creation of Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS.”
Clearing ballot hurdles
Qualifying to appear on a ballot as a third-party candidate is difficult and pricey in many states.
Richard Winger, who runs a website called Ballot Access News, says these days it’s pretty much unheard of for a third party to get on the ballot in most U.S. House districts.
“Libertarians managed to run just over half the seats back in 2000,” he said, “but ever since then, no third party has been able to run for the U.S. House in more than a fourth of the seats.”
A big reason for that is the patchwork of state laws that decide who gets on a ballot. Winger says many state lawmakers like tougher qualifying rules for third-party candidates.
“When they write the law on how a new party or an independent gets on the ballot for district office — in other words, U.S. House and state legislature — that affects them directly,” he said.
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Author: Royal A. Brown III
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