TAMPA, Fla. — John F. Kennedy once said, “Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer." Well, now there's a growing push for a third major political party in the United States.
The latest Gallup poll shows support has jumped to 63% for a third party.
ABC Action News anchor Paul LaGrone found that people in the Tampa Bay area agree with the poll.
“Do you think there will ever be a day where a third-party can could realistically win in the White House in this county?” asked LaGrone.
One woman said, “I do, and I think it would be a great idea for us to move in that direction.”
“Absolutely a third-party candidate. It is qualified; it is not 90 years old, so yes, absolutely,” replied another man.
The surge in a potential third party is highlighted by the rising popularity of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign and the potential that Senator Joe Manchin may run for president as an independent.
According to recent polls, RFK Jr. is polling higher than any independent candidate in a generation. And if those numbers hold, he and other possible independent candidates could really upset the outcome of next year’s presidential election.
“The independent swelling is a real report card of how both of these parties are doing. And it looks to me with the swelling numbers, you're both getting failing grades,” said Raven Harrison, a political strategist.
Harrison is also a conservative and a former congressional candidate. She said the current voting climate is frustrated with both parties, and there is a willingness to take a risk on a third-party candidate.
Paul LaGrone asked Harrison in part, “Are there more Democrats who are searching for an alternative? Or are there more Republicans? Or is it 50/50?"
He continued in part, “How realistic is it that the candidate can have real success, or is it just a disruptor?”
Harrison replied, “I think we're closer to that than we ever had been in terms of them being a real viable party. The issue we have right now is part of me wants to give marks to RFK for using his legacy. The Democrats basically ignored him, and he said, okay, I'm taking my powerful name and legacy to this platform, but you have not changed your voting principle in your records. And it's just like a Democrat. So, I feel like right now, that won't be the catalyst for the 24 election.”
There is also the question that if RFK Jr. goes higher in the polls, who will he take votes away from?
The last independent presidential candidate to earn over 20% in a poll was Ross Perot in 1992. He ended up getting 19% of the popular vote. Many political experts agree Perot ultimately cost George H.W. Bush his reelection.
“Could this force the Democrats to say we can't run Joe Biden? If we run Biden, we're going to lose. But it also forces the Republicans to look at their calculus and say, how far can we get with Trump? Because it does seem like this is the sequel to a movie no one wants to watch again, Trump versus Biden,” said LaGrone.
“It's an opportunity for Republicans, but it's definitely a concern because everything's been centered around Joe Biden. However, we know that he's falling apart in real time. We're all watching that,” explained Harrison.
She continued, “So, their strategy has to be unified that the last minute we're going to take out Joe Biden, put in this guy. But RFK, if he was anybody else, this would be a different conversation. But he's got a name. And he's now gaining among people who are going, you know what, I've had it with you.”
All that frustration could very well result in the next president winning the election with far less than 50% of the vote.
The idea of a third major party seems to be more popular among Republicans than Democrats. According to the Gallup Poll, 58% of GOP respondents say it’s needed. That is up 13 points from last year.
