A Primer On Third Party Politics In America

Campaign buttons for Green party presidential hopeful Jill Stein sit ready during the candidate’s appearance at Humanist Hall in Oakland, Calif. on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016.
Campaign buttons for Green party presidential hopeful Jill Stein sit ready during the candidate's appearance at Humanist Hall in Oakland, Calif. D. Ross Cameron / AP Photo
Campaign buttons for Green party presidential hopeful Jill Stein sit ready during the candidate’s appearance at Humanist Hall in Oakland, Calif. on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016.
Campaign buttons for Green party presidential hopeful Jill Stein sit ready during the candidate's appearance at Humanist Hall in Oakland, Calif. D. Ross Cameron / AP Photo

A Primer On Third Party Politics In America

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Third party candidates have a long history of trying to break the two-party mold in U.S. Presidential elections. There was Ross Perot in 1992 and Ralph Nader in 2000. This year Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson could pull six percent of the popular vote if today’s polls are any indication. But how would that affect the ultimate outcome?

Morning Shift talks with Julia Azari, a political science professor at Marquette University, about the past and present state of third parties in presidential elections.