Question

What is the role of the third parties in our two party system?

Answer 1

American politics operate on a two-party system, meaning that two major political parties dominate voting in most elections and consequently dominate elected offices. In modern United States elections, the two major parties are the Democratic and Republican parties. These parties are associated with liberal and conservative views respectively, and nearly all elected officials are affiliated with one of the two. Campaign endorsements, funding, and resources are allocated to candidates on the basis of nomination by one of these two parties.

Source: Boundless. “The Role of Third Parties.” Boundless Political Science. Boundless, 14 Nov. 2014. Retrieved 10 Dec. 2014 from https://www.boundless.com/political-science/textbooks/boundless-political-science-textbook/interest-...

Answer 2

According to Boundless, "Third party" technically refers to the third largest party in a two-party system, but in the U.S. it generally refers to any party running in an election other than the major two.<span />