In what will likely be seen as bad news for candidates like Bob Barr and Ralph Nader, a new Gallup Poll finds fewer Americans than a year ago see a need for alternatives to the Republican and Democratic parties:
PRINCETON, NJ — Americans divide evenly in a recent Gallup Poll on whether the two major political parties are adequately representing the public, or whether a third party is needed. That represents a shift from 2007, when a majority said the Democrats and Republicans were doing “such a poor job that a third major party is needed.”
Gallup has asked this question since 2003, and over that time, the public’s views on this matter have not been consistent. The first time it was asked, in October 2003, a majority opposed the idea of a third major party. Two separate polls from last year showed most Americans in favor of another party. This year’s results are similar to what Gallup found in September 2006.
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Americans’ views on the need for a third political party have varied in recent years, and in this presidential election year the public is divided down the middle. That could reflect general satisfaction with the major parties’ presidential candidates, both of whom enjoy favorable ratings near 60%. This question was not asked in 1992, when independent candidate Ross Perot had the best showing for a third-party candidate in recent memory.
The lower desire for a major third party does not bode well for the third-party candidacies of Ralph Nader, Bob Barr, and Cynthia McKinney, who have registered only minimal support when included in presidential election polls this year, and who have struggled to attract campaign dollars that have flowed rather freely to Obama and McCain.
Not to mention the attention of the media.
