A majority of Republicans in the U.S. think that a third-party option is needed because both the Republican and Democratic parties do “such a poor job” of representing Americans, according to a new Gallup poll released Wednesday.
Third-party support is at 63%, which marks the third time support has exceeded 60% among Americans and is the highest since data on this subject began being tracked in 2003, according to Gallup. Among those polled, 58% of Republicans endorsed a third political party, 46% of Democrats endorsed it and 75% of Independents supported the idea. (RELATED: ‘Playing Spoiler’: Multiple Third-Party Candidates Could Spell Bad News For Biden In 2024)
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 30: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) speaks to members of the media outside the Senate Chamber following passage in the House of a 45-day continuing resolution on September 30, 2023, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images)
Support for a third party by Republicans tends to vary more based on the party of the president in office, and on average, 49% of Republicans are in favor of a third party when a Democratic president is in the White House, compared to 38% when a Republican is in the White House, according to Gallup. Democrats’ views of a third party stay more consistent with 47% supporting a third party when a Republican is president and 44% supporting a third party when a Democrat is president.
Third party candidate Cornel West of the Green Party is currently campaigning for president, and Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to announce a run as an independent presidential candidate. Democrats previously sent out emails in September asking local Democratic leaders to denounce third parties.
Democrats have been voicing opposition publicly to third-party efforts such as No Labels and Green Party presidential candidate Cornel West, saying that a third-party candidacy may split the Democratic vote in favor of former President Donald Trump and cause him to become president in 2024. No Labels, a third party that has been flirting with running Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, qualified for the ballot in more than ten states and has raised tens of millions of dollars.
This poll was performed via telephone interviews conducted with a random sample of 1,016 adults aged 18 and older in the U.S., according to Gallup. The margin of error is ±4 percentage points.
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