Red State, Blue State: Weird Facts About the Two Big Political Parties
Third Party Candidates Never Stand A Chance
It seems so obvious—though frustrating—that we are a strong two party system in America. I mean, has a third party candidate ever had a shot at winning? Or has their only hope ever been messing with the two major parties?
Well, while no third party candidate has ever come truly close, there have been some interesting contenders. There was Eugene V. Debs, who ran as a member of the Socialist Party in 1920 and won 3.4% of the popular vote—even though he was in prison at the time! And Ross Perot, though not picking up any Electoral College votes, actually won 18.9% of the popular vote in 1992. But perhaps the most interesting—and certainly most successful—third party candidate of all time was former-President Theodore Roosevelt, who ran as a member of the Bull Moose Party in 1912 and won 88 Electoral College votes and 27.4% of the popular vote.
All of this information is interesting sure. But none of it will be fun to share with your friends and loved ones if you can’t also say that you’ve voted today. So, if you haven’t yet, go do that. Now!
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