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Americans Want Third Major Political Party
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many adults in the United States believe there should be a viable alternative to Republicans and Democrats, according to a poll by Princeton Survey Research Associates for the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. 53 per cent of respondents believe there should be a third major political party in the country, up three points since June 2004.
In the November 2004 congressional ballot, the Republican Party elected 232 lawmakers to the House of Representatives, while the Democratic Party secured 202 seats. The Republicans also have a majority in the Senate, with 55 members in the 100-seat upper house.
In the 2004 presidential election, Ralph Nader—running as a Reform Party candidate—received 0.34 per cent of all cast ballots. Michael Badnarik of the Libertarian Party was fourth in the race with 0.32 per cent, followed by Michael Peroutka of the Constitution Party with 0.11 per cent, and David Cobb of the Green Party with 0.09 per cent.
American voters will renew the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate on Nov. 7.
Polling Data
Some people say we should have a third major political party in this country in addition to the Democrats and Republicans. Do you agree or disagree?
Apr. 2006 | Jun. 2004 | |
Agree | 53% | 50% |
Disagree | 40% | 43% |
Not sure | 7% | 7% |
Source: Princeton Survey Research Associates / Pew Research Center for the People and the Press
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,501 American adults, conducted from Apr. 7 to Apr. 16, 2006. Margin of error is 3.5 per cent.