The Entry of a Third Party into the U.S. Presidential Election Campaign

In the United States, a third political party has entered the presidential election campaign. The Libertarian Party selected two candidates for the presidential and vice-presidential positions during its national convention held in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday and Sunday. Gary Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico and a prominent figure of the Libertarian Party, was chosen as the candidate to compete against the Republican and Democratic rivals in the upcoming November elections. William Weld, the former governor of Massachusetts, was selected as Mr. Johnson's running mate. Both of these individuals, who were previously members of the Republican Party, are considered the most significant and popular political figures of the third party in the United States and have promised to transform this party from a marginal group into a major party to adequately respond to American voters' uncertainty about the two ruling parties, the Democrats and Republicans. The Libertarian Party, which identifies itself as a defender of civil liberties, was proposed 45 years ago during a friendly meeting of several politicians in Colorado and was officially registered under the same name in December 1971. This party advocates non-intervention in foreign policy and promotes a free market economy and the abolition of government assistance in domestic policy. On Monday, in response to the official entry of the Libertarian Party into the electoral competition, many analysts described the task of Gary Johnson and his running mate William Weld as very difficult in gaining American voters' support, as this party has not achieved significant success in elections since its establishment. Mohsen Milani, a political science professor at the University of Florida, considers Gary Johnson's victory in this year's competition against Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton to be unlikely. Mr. Milani states, 'In the American two-party political and electoral system, a third party has very little chance of winning the presidential election; in the last 160 years, since the Republican and Democratic parties have been the major forces in American politics, we have never witnessed a third party winning an election. Therefore, the possibility of Mr. Gary Johnson winning the election is very low and perhaps even impossible; however, since both Mr. Johnson and his running mate Mr. Weld are well-known and influential state governors in America, and many American conservatives have officially declared that they will not vote for Donald Trump, this party could play a very important role in the U.S. presidential election; not in the sense that it could win the election, but in that it could capture a significant number of conservative votes and ultimately turn the election in favor of Mrs. Clinton and against Mr. Trump.' Mr. Milani adds, 'In 1992, Ross Perot, who was also a conservative, ran as a third-party candidate and garnered 20% of the vote, causing Mr. George Bush, the father of the former president, to lose the election to Mr. Bill Clinton; thus, Mr. Johnson could play an important role in the election outcome, but his chances of winning are very slim.' The Washington-based publication Politico reported on Monday that given that Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are two candidates with the least popularity and are seen as unreliable politicians among voters, many Libertarians believe that the public's desire for an alternative has created a suitable opportunity for the party, and Gary Johnson is a candidate whose name is likely to emerge from the ballots in all states. Mr. Johnson, who was also the party's candidate in the previous election against Democratic candidate Barack Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney, states that in public affairs, his party is more liberal than the Democrats and in financial matters, more conservative than the Republicans. After securing his party's nomination for the presidential election, Mr. Johnson said that tax reduction would be one of his economic priorities. Politico added that Mr. Johnson and his running mate aim to attract many dissatisfied Republicans and secure their financial support. One party supporter told Politico that his team is capable of raising millions of dollars for Gary Johnson's campaign. William Weld, Mr. Johnson's running mate, is one of the figures who previously managed fundraising for Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate, and is considered a prominent figure in this regard. However, regardless of the challenges facing the two candidates of the third party in the elections, Politico quoted a Libertarian party strategist as saying that against Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, Gary Johnson is a weak speaker and even weaker in television debates.