Third Parties
By Eric Ostermeier on July 16, 2008
The Independence Party has stopped the bleeding. After leaving a major footprint on Minnesota State House races in the 2000, 2002, and 2004 elections, the number of IP candidates on the ballot greatly declined in 2006 to just nine districts. At the time of the close of Tuesday’s filing deadline,...
By Eric Ostermeier on July 10, 2008
When I was on Sirius Satellite Radio’s “The Blog Bunker� yesterday I was asked how the Democratic-led U.S. Senate approval of the latest FISA legislation would have on the presidential election – and whether the left wing of the party would feel betrayed (by Barack Obama’s support of the...
By Eric Ostermeier on July 7, 2008
The Center for the Study of Politics and Governance has released a report studying the potential impact third parties may have on the 2008 presidential race. From the report: "Third parties may determine the outcome of the 2008 presidential contest between the presumptive Democratic and Republican Party candidates, Senator Barack...
By Eric Ostermeier on June 13, 2008
Norm Coleman continues to lead Al Franken in his defense of his U.S. Senate seat, by 48 to 45 percent, according to a poll of 500 likely voters by Rasmussen. The poll, conducted on Wednesday, June 11th, finds no bounce for Franken coming out of last weekend's DFL convention, in...
By Eric Ostermeier on April 2, 2008
From the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance press release: Jesse Ventura ran in the 1998 governor's election as a rebel intent on breaking the hold of the two party system on government. Yet, critics charged that Governor Ventura failed to convert his personal following into a lasting...
By Eric Ostermeier on September 17, 2007
As a recent SurveyUSA poll showed Norm Coleman's lead over both Al Franken and Mike Cerisi down to low single digits, the question emerges as to whether or not the introduction of a viable third party candidate in the race could influence the outcome. In two of the past three...
By Eric Ostermeier on July 16, 2007
With the prospects of a potential high profile Independent presidential candidacy by New York Mayor (and billionaire) Michael Bloomberg on the horizon, gaining the votes of political independents becomes even a higher prize for the establishment parties in 2008. Independents comprise approximately 25 percent of the electorate in Minnesota and...
By Eric Ostermeier on December 7, 2006
In the last of Smart Politics' series on the decline of third parties in Minnesota, today's entry examines the health of right-of-center third parties in the Gopher State. Previous entries documented how left (Green) and center-left (Independence) parties are, in Minnesota, only shadows of themselves today compared to just 4...
By Eric Ostermeier on December 6, 2006
In our continuing study of the decline of third parties in the state of Minnesota, today Smart Politics examines the weakening of the state's Green Party. Like the Independence Party, the Green Party experienced a significant downturn in public support in 2006 for almost all statewide and district races...
By Eric Ostermeier on December 5, 2006
The Independence Party of Minnesota has experienced a noticeable decline in support across Minnesota - as evidenced in its performance last month. This decline is revealed across a number of dimensions and offices, including a decreased ability to field candidates in state legislative races since 2000 (the year it disassociated...
By Eric Ostermeier on November 30, 2006
For a number of years State House races in Minnesota were peppered with a significant number of third party or independent candidates. In 2006, however, the presence of these non-major party candidates was the lowest in a decade. In 1998 there were 18 non-major party candidates on the ballot in...
By Eric Ostermeier on November 13, 2006
A Smart Politics analysis of 2006 election results finds support for third parties continuing to drop—for the second straight election cycle since 2002. In 2006, 2.25 percent of votes for U.S. House candidates went to third parties, compared to 2.37 percent in 2004 and 3.03 percent in 2002. In 2006...
By Eric Ostermeier on October 12, 2006
As previously mentioned at Smart Politics (October 2, 2006), Minnesota has led the Upper Midwest in successful third party candidacies for more than a decade. Third parties spring up for a number of reasons, not the least of which is a decline in identification with the two major parties. During...
By Eric Ostermeier on October 2, 2006
Minnesota's historical success of placing third party candidates on the ballot usually begins and ends with Jesse Ventura. In a report released earlier this summer, the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance also showed Ventura's legacy in sustaining third party success in the state. 'Success' is, of course,...
By Eric Ostermeier on September 10, 2006
In recent years Minnesota has lead all Upper Midwestern states with the highest percentage of successful third party campaigns in state legislative races. While third party candidates still have a significant presence in the Gopher state (especially in state-wide elections), the number of third party candidates in Minnesota's 2006 state...
