1. Third Parties:
What role do they play in
American politics?
Ross Perot: 1992, 1996
Ralph Nader: 2000, 2004

2. Warm­Up: The Government Club
T­Shirt
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?

3. 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?

4. 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.

5. 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

6. 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.”

7. 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

8. 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.

9. Types of Third Parties

10. Sectional Parties
Example: Strom
Thurmond
and the Dixiecrat
Party ran on a
segregationist
platform in 1948

11. Economic Protest Parties
Example: James
Weaver and the
Populist Party won
over 1 million popular
votes and 22 electoral
votes in 1892

12. Ideology Parties
Examples:
Socialist,
Communist, and
Libertarian Parties
Libertarian Party 2000 campaign ad

13. Charismatic Personality Parties
Example:
Theodore Roosevelt
and the Progressive
Bull Moose Party in
1912

14. Specific Issue Parties
Example: Prohibition Party in 1892

15. 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

16. 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.”

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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?

21. http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/t/third_party.asp
•What is the
artist trying
to say about
voters who
choose third
party
candidates?

22. 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?

23. The Bathtub
www.cartoonstock.com/directory/t/third_party.asp
Why is it so
difficult for third
parties to gather
support?

24. Independent Voters?
http://3rdpartyblogger.com/political-cartoons/political-cartoons-2/
Why might
third parties be
attractive to
voters?

25. Nader & the Reform Party 2004
What is the
artist
saying
about
Nader’s
2004 run
for
president as
the reform
candidate?

26. The Libertarians…
www.independentpoliticalreport.com
What issues
do you
think the
Libertarian
party might
be
concerned
with?

27. The Nader Oval Office
http://politicalhumor.about.com
• What is the artist
communicating
about the Green
party agenda?

28. The Tea Party
True Third Party or Political Movement???

30. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20002529-503544.html

31. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20002529503544.html

32. The Tea Set
http://politicalhumor.about.com
• Sometimes
third party
issues can be
difficult to
stomach.

33. Don’t Compromise on Me!
http://politicalhumor.about.com
• Getting the
message across is
more important
than cutting a deal
with the other
parties.

34. 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.

35. 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.

36. 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.

37. Hat in the Ring
http://politicalhumor.about.com
• It can take time
for a third party
to be taken
seriously. It may
never happen.