The Dangerous Illusion of a Presidential Third Party in 2024

Polling data shows voters are frustrated with our two-party political system, leading some to express interest in running a third-party presidential candidate in 2024. But history tells us that third-party candidates don’t win and that a third-party candidate in 2024 would pull support from the Democratic ticket while boosting the Republican nominee--who will most likely be Donald Trump or a Trump acolyte.

As we enter the start of the presidential election cycle, it is important to recognize the role that a well-financed third-party candidate would play. We have compiled this series of resources to share how third-party candidates underperform, hurt incumbents, and would hurt Democrats in 2024.