Community Corner
Is It Time for a Third Party?
Sixty percent of Americans polled say a third major political party is needed. Do you agree, and do you think a third party can make it in today's political arena?
Is it time for the Democrats and Republicans to be joined by a third major political party? A lot of Americans seem to think so.
Amid the government shutdown, Gallup last week reported that 60 percent of Americans polled believe the two major parties are doing a poor job of representing the American people and that a third major party is needed. The 60-percent figure was the highest Gallup had ever received in the 10-year history of the question.
The same poll had 26 percent of respondents saying that Republicans and Democrats adequately represent the American people—a rate Gallup said was a new low.
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Of those polled, significant numbers of both Republicans and Democrats said a third party is needed. Fifty-two percent of Republicans thought so, while Democrats’ support for a third choice totaled 49 percent. Independents showed a much stronger desire for a new party, though, at 71 percent.
Here’s the question that Gallup posed in the political poll:
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In your view, do the Republican and Democratic parties do an adequate job of representing the American people, or do they do such a poor job that a third major party is needed?
How would you respond to Gallup’s poll question? Do you want to see a third party emerge, and do you believe a third party can thrive in today’s political environment? Tell us in the comments.
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