Where on political spectrum could third party come from?

[Santander]

Nazbol

[Crumpets]

Republicans revert to 90s era Republicanism and a Nazbol-Paulist union emerges to fill the gap.

[Person Man]

If we have a really bad recession in the next 10 to 15 years we will get something really ruinous politically and I'm not sure what form it will take. The Republican party seems like it can easily be taken over by the most fervent, see the TeaParty and the rise of Donald Trump's political chaos. But if we have a uprise from the left it will happen under the Democratic party because that's where it's already going. The shrinking white population of America will also cause a freak out that will probably give rise to several minor white nationalist parties that will get outsized attention.

Basically the next major crisis might be large enough that a reasonable voter might question whether or not  civil society should even exist. Is that what you are saying? It opens up someone the next level up from Trump taking over and either society ossifying to the point the over time, people just give up and avoid society in general or that pretty much happening immediately.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Hopefully another right oriented party to split their votes.

[Ilhan Apologist]

I think a more serious version of Evan McMullin would be the strongest we could get.

[MarkD]

We already have a Libertarian Party, a Green Party, and a Constitution Party. How many more parties do we need?

[brucejoel99]

We already have a Libertarian Party, a Green Party, and a Constitution Party. How many more parties do we need?

In other nations similar to us (G7) they have for the most part two parties that pass power back and forth just like we do, but for the most part they have third parties that play much much more relevant roles in places like Canada & the UK then they do here.

My question is - where on the political spectrum does anyone see the best likelihood emerging of a serious third party? It’s an interesting question. I think it’s safe to say what has stopped well intentioned people from perusing the formation of a third party in America is the idea that they will split the vote on one side of the spectrum guaranteeing a victory for the party on the other side.

[MarkD]

We already have a Libertarian Party, a Green Party, and a Constitution Party. How many more parties do we need?

In other nations similar to us (G7) they have for the most part two parties that pass power back and forth just like we do, but for the most part they have third parties that play much much more relevant roles in places like Canada & the UK then they do here.

My question is - where on the political spectrum does anyone see the best likelihood emerging of a serious third party? It’s an interesting question. I think it’s safe to say what has stopped well intentioned people from perusing the formation of a third party in America is the idea that they will split the vote on one side of the spectrum guaranteeing a victory for the party on the other side.

My point being that voters already do have alternatives to the two major parties and could be showing their dissatisfaction with those two by casting more votes for the other alternatives. But the two majors are still getting 97% of all the votes. I see on Facebook several articles by the Independent Voter Network proclaiming that more Americans self-identify as independents than as Republicans or Democrats. But if that were true, why is there so obviously a high percentage of American voters who are voting straight-party tickets? I think if there were a need for a third large party, many voters could simply "take over" the Libertarians, the Greens, or the Constitutions and, by their greater numbers, make sure that the party has a mainstream platform and message rather than a fringe platform and message. I think the system still has an effectively free market, not as closed as IVN makes it out to be, and there is ample opportunity for another party to become a large third party if there were a market for it. There isn't.

[brucejoel99]

We already have a Libertarian Party, a Green Party, and a Constitution Party. How many more parties do we need?

In other nations similar to us (G7) they have for the most part two parties that pass power back and forth just like we do, but for the most part they have third parties that play much much more relevant roles in places like Canada & the UK then they do here.

My question is - where on the political spectrum does anyone see the best likelihood emerging of a serious third party? It’s an interesting question. I think it’s safe to say what has stopped well intentioned people from perusing the formation of a third party in America is the idea that they will split the vote on one side of the spectrum guaranteeing a victory for the party on the other side.

My point being that voters already do have alternatives to the two major parties and could be showing their dissatisfaction with those two by casting more votes for the other alternatives. But the two majors are still getting 97% of all the votes. I see on Facebook several articles by the Independent Voter Network proclaiming that more Americans self-identify as independents than as Republicans or Democrats. But if that were true, why is there so obviously a high percentage of American voters who are voting straight-party tickets? I think if there were a need for a third large party, many voters could simply "take over" the Libertarians, the Greens, or the Constitutions and, by their greater numbers, make sure that the party has a mainstream platform and message rather than a fringe platform and message. I think the system still has an effectively free market, not as closed as IVN makes it out to be, and there is ample opportunity for another party to become a large third party if there were a market for it. There isn't.

You're acting as if the question asked was "How do we get a serious third party to emerge?". That's not the question. The question was "Where on the political spectrum does anyone see the best likelihood emerging of a serious third party?," regardless of its likelihood (or lack thereof).

[Goldwater]

We already have a Libertarian Party, a Green Party, and a Constitution Party. How many more parties do we need?

What if all three of them merged to create some sort of weird big tent ant-establishment party?

[pbrower2a]

Center-right... a part of the electorate uncomfortable in both Parties, people who think that the GOP is becoming excessively right-wing and that the Democratic Party is too 'socialistic'. 

[LabourJersey]

The only plausible third parties that can arise in America would be state-level parties that have unique coalitions that prevent certain states from becoming permanent trifectas for a single party.

For instance I can imagine a political group focused in the South that has populist/center-left ideals and harkens to the tradition of Roosevelt (and maybe Huey Long), but has a nationalist element and avoids any connection with the "woke" groups in the Democratic party. A coalition like that could displace the Democrats in state/local elections and win legislatures & governorships in Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas etc.

[Senator Incitatus]

A legitimist Jacobite faction seeking to restore the House of Stuart.

[Chunk Yogurt for President!]

A legitimist Jacobite faction seeking to restore the House of Stuart.

Where would they draw support from?

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

As the GOP loses its voter base to age, the Democrats will cover an increasingly large part of the American political spectrum. If the GOP proves incapable of reform (as seems likely), that's going to cause the tensions we already see within the Democrats to increase, likely leading to a split.

By 2038, the political parties in the US might look something like this:

Republicans - a mix of far-right ideologies kept afloat and united only through shared loathing of the other two parties, and because of their utility to a handful of hyper-wealthy individuals and some corporartions. Still dominate a handful of southern states, and are competitive in a few more. Recently became the smallest of the three major parties.

Democratic-Socialists - Populist advocates for a strong social safety net, strict corporate regulation, and aggressive taxation. Actively support a number of positions that are barely whispered at in the US today, potentially including: reduction of the military-industrial complex, replacement of FPTP with an alternative voting system, 20-hour work weeks, universal basic income, and civil rights for everything from rivers to dolphins to AIs. Denounced by both the Democrats and Republicans as trying to create an oppressive nanny-state. Strongest in New England and the Pacific coast states.


Democrats - generally considered a 'centrist' party, the Democrats have changed little from their early 21-Century positions. Proponents of the status-quo, the Dems will be something of classic conservatives, arguing against radical changes and supporting a mix of the status-quo and incrementalism. They support 'improving' the existing social safety net, the US as a global policeman, and oppose excessive regulation in the name of free-market capitalism. Democrats are the largest of the national parties.


For years, there has been a degree of overlap between the Democrats and Democratic-Socialists in many places, where the weaker of the two parties typically endorses the other party's candidate (or candidates run for both primaries, etc). An outgrowth of how in some areas the Democratic-Socialists took over the local Democratic party branch. (There may not even be organized Democratic party structures in areas where the D-S are very popular, althought the reserve is rare.)

This is only a temporary arrangement. Within another two decades (by 2060 or 2070), either the Republicans will re-invent themselves, winning back voters and enjoying some success before the Democrats and Democratic-Socialists merge, or the Republicans will be further reduced to insignifiant third-party status and the Democrats and Democratic-Socialists will become the two major parties.

[Saint Milei]

We already have a Libertarian Party, a Green Party, and a Constitution Party. How many more parties do we need?

What if all three of them merged to create some sort of weird big tent ant-establishment party?

There will inevitably be a coalition of libertarians, constitutionalists, and anti-statist progressives

[Goldwater]

We already have a Libertarian Party, a Green Party, and a Constitution Party. How many more parties do we need?

What if all three of them merged to create some sort of weird big tent ant-establishment party?

There will inevitably be a coalition of libertarians, constitutionalists, and anti-statist progressives

I've actually taken my own joke somewhat seriously and tried to think of what sort of policy positions such a party might have. Some things I have come up with so far is:

• A non-interventionist foreign policy
• Opposition to NFTA and similar trade agreement
• A federalist "leave it to states" approach to most social issues
• Abolishing the income tax and replacing it with VAT and carbon taxes
• Opposition to farm subsidies and other similar forms of corporate welfare

[diptheriadan]

A legitimist Jacobite faction seeking to restore the House of Stuart.

Where would they draw support from?

Me, for one. My great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather died fighting to keep Charlie on the throne, and I'd gladly take up his fight.

[Person Man]

We already have a Libertarian Party, a Green Party, and a Constitution Party. How many more parties do we need?

What if all three of them merged to create some sort of weird big tent ant-establishment party?

There will inevitably be a coalition of libertarians, constitutionalists, and anti-statist progressives

I've actually taken my own joke somewhat seriously and tried to think of what sort of policy positions such a party might have. Some things I have come up with so far is:

• A non-interventionist foreign policy
• Opposition to NFTA and similar trade agreement
• A federalist "leave it to states" approach to most social issues
• Abolishing the income tax and replacing it with VAT and carbon taxes
• Opposition to farm subsidies and other similar forms of corporate welfare

An interesting mix of bad and potentially good ideas, then?

[Goldwater]

We already have a Libertarian Party, a Green Party, and a Constitution Party. How many more parties do we need?

What if all three of them merged to create some sort of weird big tent ant-establishment party?

There will inevitably be a coalition of libertarians, constitutionalists, and anti-statist progressives

I've actually taken my own joke somewhat seriously and tried to think of what sort of policy positions such a party might have. Some things I have come up with so far is:

• A non-interventionist foreign policy
• Opposition to NFTA and similar trade agreement
• A federalist "leave it to states" approach to most social issues
• Abolishing the income tax and replacing it with VAT and carbon taxes
• Opposition to farm subsidies and other similar forms of corporate welfare

An interesting mix of bad and potentially good ideas, then?

Well yeah, the ida was to mix the few things that these parties (probably) share common ground on (such as foreign policy and corporate welfare) with weird compromise solutions on other issue (such as abolishing the income tax being a libertarian goal while carbon taxes are an environmentalist goal, or how leaving controversial social issues to the states decentralizes instead of taking a hard cut stamce on them.)