party system

Question 1

what party system does the US have

Answer 1

two-party system

Question 2

types of minor parties

Answer 2

Green Party
Libertarian Party

Question 3

Green party basics

Answer 3

Left wing, focus on the environment
250,000 registered voters.
Presidential Nominee 2020 - Howie Hawkins got 0.3% of the popular vote

Question 4

Libertarian Party

Answer 4

Fiscally Conservative, socially liberal.
250,000 registered voters
Advocates minimal state interference. For individual freedom on social issues. Conservative on tax and the role of government. (small government, low taxes)
2020 Presidential elections – Jo Jorgensen 1%

Question 5

what else are there apart from third parties

Answer 5

independents

Question 6

independents - example

Answer 6

Bernie Sanders is elected as an independent senator for Vermont
2016: Evan McMullin ran as independent candidate in the presidential elections (0.3% of the vote and 21% in Utah) some independents are closely related to one of the mainstream parties

Question 7

popular independents and third parties

Answer 7

1992 - Ross Perot independents 19.0%
2000 - Ralph Nader Green Party 2.7%
2016 - Gary Johnson Libertarian 3.3%

Question 8

why are third parties in the US so weak

Answer 8

1. FPTP
2. The two main big tent parties
3. Main parties adopt their policies when they become a threat
4. Lack of media attention
5. Lack of Funding

Question 9

3rd Parties being weak FPTP

Answer 9

Electoral College votes only go to who has won the state. Ross Perot (independent) won 19% of the popular vote in 1992, but no Electoral College votes

Question 10

main big tent parties - 3rd parties being weak

Answer 10

The two main parties contain a wide range of factions and views, and represent a wide range of interests and ‘voter coalitions’
Republicans: compassionate conservatives and moderate establishment vs. Tea Party, religious right, neo-conservatives and Trump populism
Democrats: Progressives vs New Democrats, Blue Dogs, Sanders’ socialism

Question 11

Adopt their policies - 3rd paries being weak

Answer 11

Main parties adopt their policies when they become a threat. If, once in a while, a third party becomes popular, the main parties adopt their policies, making them redundant
In 1992 Ross Perot became popular attacking the budget deficit – Bill Clinton adopted some of his ideas when in government

Question 12

3rd parties being weak - lack of media attention

Answer 12

Because they are unlikely to do well, the media largely ignore third parties

Question 13

3rd parties being weak - lack of funding

Answer 13

Because they are unlikely to do well, individual donors, businesses and pressure groups are unwilling to donate money. Pressure groups are more likely to endorse a candidate who they see a good investment - someone that will win and represent their interests
Example - 2020 presidential election donations
Biden campaign - $1B
Trump - $780M
Jorgensen (Libertarian) campaign - $3M

Question 14

How can third parties still have influence?

Answer 14

1. They can make others lose
2. They can influence the political agenda
3. They can still get funding

Question 15

minor parties having influence - steal votes

Answer 15

1992
Ross Perot - (independent) got 19.0 %. He was Right-wing 🡪 and took votes from the Republicans. Helped Bill Clinton (D) win. The difference between Clinton and H.W. Bush in popular vote was 5.5%
2000
Ralph Nader - (Green Party) got 1.6% of the vote in Florida. He was Left-wing 🡪 and took votes from the Democrats. Helped George W. Bush (R) beat Al Gore
2020:
3rd party candidates received 1.8% of the popular vote
3rd party candidates won more votes than Biden’s margin of victory in Wisconsin, Arizona,
and Georgia - Biden’s margin in the Electoral college was larger than the EC votes in those states

Question 16

political agenda - essay plan

Answer 16

Point 1 - they are insignificant because the two main parties are big tent parties, all-inclusive of many views and voter coalitions on the political agenda.
Evaluative Point - Minor parties tend to be single-issue parties focusing on a specific political agenda. They can influence the political agenda by setting a policy and forcing big-tent parties to follow suit.
Mini conclusion - Big tent parties can easily adopt their policies, it is also possible that a faction exists within the big tent party with similar agenda to single-issue minor parties, making them insignificant. The reform party’s populist beliefs are similar to that of the republican tea party faction.

Question 17

essay plan - steal votes

Answer 17

No they are not insignificant, minor parties can pose a threat by altering the outcome of an election by stealing votes away from big-tent candidates. Ralph Nader, green party candidate in the 2000 presidential elections gained 1.6% of the vote that would have given Al Gore an upper hand. It can be argued that Al Gore may have won the popular vote if Nader wasn’t running, as green party voters may have voted for Al gore due to his similar progressive stance on environmental issues - this highlights their significance.
Evaluative Point - The winner takes all electoral system neutralises any attempt by minor parties to alter the election results.
Mini conclusion - While minor parties can pose a threat by stealing votes, in recent years the % of popular votes won by minor parties has not been enough to cause any major threat to the results. Also, the Electoral college vote doesn’t translate votes secured nationally proportionally to seats in the legislature.
2.7% of the popular vote and 1.6% of the electoral college votes in florida

Question 18

essay plan - lack funding

Answer 18

Yes they are insignificant as they tend to lack funding, they are less well-known and unlikely to win so they don’t attract funding from organisations that could help boost their campaign
Evaluative Point - Minor parties may attract funding from organisations with the same specific interests as them. The MATH PAC is a super PAC that supports Andrew Yang, a candidate for the Forward Party and donated $480,000 to him in 2020
Mini Conclusion - While they attract funding, when compared to the funding candidates from big tent parties receive theirs are insignificant.
The counter-argument for the second paragraph could also be that it is very rare those minor party candidates get enough votes to make a difference to the outcome, or that could feature in a mini-conclusion. For the counter to the third paragraph, you could add that donations go to individual candidates more than parties, making it easier for an independent candidate or one representing a minor party to suddenly gather significant donations. That would be harder in a system like the UK’s where finance is controlled by the parties.