Local elections are the time. That’s it, that’s the answer. Third parties have to build up heavy momentum in smaller elections and only then build up to bigger ones, and eventually the big chair.
Doing very little at the local level and making a big splash once every four years is not a strategy for public policy or even for public debate, it’s solely a strategy for fundraising.
If someone wants to run a serious third party campaign at any level from dog catcher on up, I’d applaud them for their effort. But if all they ever do is come out of the woodwork for major state or federal level elections and threaten to play spoiler, I have a hard time imagining that they have any serious goals in mind beyond being deeply annoying.
Local elections are the time. That’s it, that’s the answer. Third parties have to build up heavy momentum in smaller elections and only then build up to bigger ones, and eventually the big chair.
Doing very little at the local level and making a big splash once every four years is not a strategy for public policy or even for public debate, it’s solely a strategy for fundraising.
If someone wants to run a serious third party campaign at any level from dog catcher on up, I’d applaud them for their effort. But if all they ever do is come out of the woodwork for major state or federal level elections and threaten to play spoiler, I have a hard time imagining that they have any serious goals in mind beyond being deeply annoying.