Newsfront
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. INDEPENDENT
CORNEL WEST JUSTICE FOR ALL PARTY
JILL STEIN GREEN PARTY
Third-Party Candidates Pose Outsize Risk in Swing States
Just a handful of votes for them could tip the scales for who wins the White House.
T BY JOHN GIZZI
he u.s. has the world’s longest and most durable history of two major parties competing for power — the
Democrats since 1832, the Republi- cans since 1856. During that time, third parties have
come and gone, making an impact but never coming close to victory. For instance, in 2016, former New
Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, running as a Libertarian, captured 4.5 million votes (3.28%), and Green Party candi- date Jill Stein, M.D., drew almost 1.5 million (1.07%) — enough to make a difference in which way the electoral votes went in several states, notably Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wiscon- sin, and arguably tipping the election to Donald Trump. In 2020, the lack of any well-
known third-party contenders likely helped Joe Biden carry the very same three states that Trump won four
8 NEWSMAX | JUNE 2024
years before. Now, in 2024, Stein is back for the
Greens and, more significantly, Rob- ert F. Kennedy Jr., 70, social activist and son and nephew of Democratic Party icons Robert and John F. Ken- nedy, respectively, will be on the bal- lot in at least seven states as an inde- pendent candidate. Stein is a supporter of canceling all
student debt, a 100% shift to renew- able energy by 2030, lowering the voting age to 16, and changing to elections through the controversial ranked-choice system. And then there is Cornel West,
71, a scholar and author, self-styled socialist in the mold of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, and candidate of the new Justice for All Party (after aban- doning a bid for the Green Party’s nomination). Who stands to gain the most from
the presence of this third-party three- some: Trump or Biden?
An Emerson Poll in April among
likely voters nationwide showed Trump defeating Biden head to head by 46% to 43%. When the three third-party hope-
fuls were factored in, Trump still leads Biden, but by 44% to 40%. Kennedy drew 8%, West 1%, and Stein 0%.
RFK: FIRST AMONG EQUALS With his universally known last name, Kennedy Jr. will be a political force in this year’s presidential election. Like his father Robert F. Kennedy,
whose brief presidential run ended with his assassination in 1968, RFK Jr. speaks of helping the homeless and cre- ating a program to have government become a partner in every American’s effort to purchase a home. A nationally recognized environ-
mental lawyer, Kennedy has won a following in the “green” community (and earned considerable wealth) through courtroom battles with cor- porate polluters. But there is another side to Kennedy that apparently appeals to some voters.
BIDEN/ANDREW HARNIK/GETTY IMAGES/ STEIN AND RFK/AP IMAGES / WEST/ELIZABETH CONLEY/HOUSTON CHRONICLE VIA GETTY IMAGES / TRUMP/SCOTT OLSON/GETTY IMAGES
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