Scrawled Shortcuts through the Research Maze
U.S. Presidential Candidates and the Elections
Theodore Roosevelt’s “Progressive (Bull Moose) Party” upset the 1912 election, ensuring the election of the Democratic Woodrow Wilson. TDR came in second in both the popular and electoral vote that year. In addition to Roosevelt’s third party campaign, the Prohibition Party, the Socialist Labor Party and the Socialist Party sponsored presidential candidates that year.
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Presidential Also-Rans and Running Mates, 1788 through 1996
Ross Perot, a self-made billionaire, captured 22% of the vote in the 1992 Presidential election as a third party candidate. Perot’s campaign was a roller coaster, with Perot leading both incumbent George H. Bush and challenger Bill Clinton on June 2. Rising on the tide of anti-Washington politics, Perot lost ground as his ideas were increasing seen as “kooky”. Most third party presidential candidates in the 20th century received 3% or less of the final vote.
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The Encyclopedia of Third Parties in America
The U.S. has entertained some very interesting third parties indeed: the Know-Nothings, the Free Soil Party, the Greenback Party, the Jobless Party, the Poor Man’s Party, and the Dixiecrats. Read more about these parties, and the history of third parties in the fascinating three volume encyclopedia…complete with maps!
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The Congressional Directory
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cdirectory/browse-cd-09.html
How many third party members sit in Congress today? Two in the Senate, none in the House. But, there have been periods in American History when third party members were more active and better represented in Congress: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_congressional_directory&docid=111th_txt-80
What about the impact of third parties in the mid-term elections?
Check out these polling sites:
- Gallup Poll - http://www.gallup.com/home.aspx
- RealClearPolitics polls - http://www.realclearpolitics.com/polls/
- Polling Report - http://www.pollingreport.com/
- Rasmussen Reports - http://www.rasmussenreports.com/