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A good example is the Reform Party, the most prominent party in the 90's and more successful than the Green Party or Libertarians in many ways (the Reform Party

by bnralt 4y ago

A good example is the Reform Party, the most prominent party in the 90's and more successful than the Green Party or Libertarians in many ways (the Reform Party actually won a Governor's seat, and got more presidential votes than the other two ever did). They had a pretty public melting down in the late 90's and now are a non-entity. The Greens and Libertarians have been a mess whenever I've worked with them at the local level. One problem that I've seen, both at a local and national level, is that they keep trying to run as many candidates in as many races as possible, and almost all of these end up being vanity candidates with no interest in winning. We had Green Party candidates here in major races who didn't even bother putting up a website. This just entrenches the idea in people's minds that these parties aren't serious, and are only worthwhile as protest votes. You want to know the most successful third party at the moment in the U.S.? The Vermont Progressive Party. They only operate in Vermont, yet hold more state level offices in Vermont than Greens and Libertarians _combined_ do in the entirety of the United States. Also more independent state level elected officials. We have two independent senators at the moment. Other people from outside the two parties have had much more success than almost all of the third parties. Again, the Vermont Progressive Party is an exception, but it's only active in Vermont. The Working Families Party in New York would count as another exception, though that's a bit more complex given New York's fusion voting.

lapcat 4y ago
> A good example is the Reform Party, the most prominent party in the 90's The Reform Party was an extension of Ross Perot, who bought his way into the 1992 presidential election with his own immense wealth, and actually could have won that election — at one point he was leading the polls! — if he didn't have his own personal meltdown during the campaign. Perot ran again in 1996, with lesser results. When Perot faded from the political scene, so did the Reform Party. I would also mention that the Minnesota governor's seat won by the Reform Party was by famous professional wrestler Jesse The Mind/Body Ventura, who was already well-known before the Reform Party even existed. Ventura was elected mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota in 1990, predating the Reform Party, and moreover, Ventura left the Reform Party a year after taking office as governor and joined the Independence Party instead. > You want to know the most successful third party at the moment in the U.S.? The Vermont Progressive Party. Vermont is one of the smallest states in the country by both population and physical size. Campaign fundraising is less of a problem there than in most places that require large spending on TV ads. One of the biggest disadvantages of third parties is lack of money. This is how Ross Perot succeeded where they did not: he had a ton of money.

by bnralt 4y ago

lapcat 4y ago

> A good example is the Reform Party, the most prominent party in the 90's The Reform Party was an extension of Ross Perot, who bought his way into the 1992 presidential election with his own immense wealth, and actually could have won that election — at one point he was leading the polls! — if he didn't have his own personal meltdown during the campaign. Perot ran again in 1996, with lesser results. When Perot faded from the political scene, so did the Reform Party. I would also mention that the Minnesota governor's seat won by the Reform Party was by famous professional wrestler Jesse The Mind/Body Ventura, who was already well-known before the Reform Party even existed. Ventura was elected mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota in 1990, predating the Reform Party, and moreover, Ventura left the Reform Party a year after taking office as governor and joined the Independence Party instead. > You want to know the most successful third party at the moment in the U.S.? The Vermont Progressive Party. Vermont is one of the smallest states in the country by both population and physical size. Campaign fundraising is less of a problem there than in most places that require large spending on TV ads. One of the biggest disadvantages of third parties is lack of money. This is how Ross Perot succeeded where they did not: he had a ton of money.