THE 2024 ELECTION’S FORGOTTEN THIRD PARTY CANDIDATES
Photo via Reuters
JAMES LONG: As millions of Americans head to the polls on Nov. 5, it would be easy to mistake this year’s presidential election for a two-candidate race. The constant stream of polls, pundits on cable news and social media activity seemingly purports that Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are the only two candidates in the race. While they might be the only two candidates in a position to capture 270 electoral votes, this cycle’s list of third-party candidates deserves voters’ attention, and could even influence the final outcome of the election.
Americans looking for an alternative to Trump or Harris have plenty of options. In what is expected to be an extremely tight contest for control of the White House, the presence of these options is enough to make both major party campaigns nervous. A further look at these third-party longshots reveals staggering diversity in demographics and ideologies.
Cornel West is a 71-year-old professor at Manhattan’s Union Theological Seminary running as an Independent. An isolationist, West has promised to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, attempt to abolish NATO and end foreign aid to Ukraine. Describing his platform as “A Movement Rooted in Truth, Justice, and Love,” West’s social policy platform focuses on enacting universal healthcare and establishing social justice through reparations. West has notably clashed with other prominent progressives, such as U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), whom West called “pathetic” because of his refusal to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. West’s running mate is California State University, Los Angeles Professor Melina Abdullah.
Jill Stein is a former physician and climate activist running as the nominee of the Green Party. A former West ally and campaign manager, Stein has since joined the race for the White House herself, albeit maintaining a similar platform. Her campaign website touts the significance of “People, Planet, and Peace” in her policies. Stein has proposed an aggressive zero-carbon emissions plan, a system of tuition-free education through college and overhauling reforms to the Supreme Court. Criticized by Democrats for her connections to the Russian government, Stein has also received praise from former President Donald Trump. Her running mate is Butch Ware, a professor of Black and Islamic Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Chase Oliver is a 39-year-old businessman and political activist of the Libertarian Party. Similar to West and Stein, Oliver has also committed to withdrawing U.S. support for Ukraine and Israel if elected. In terms of economic policy, he has vowed to eliminate the IRS and Social Security, which he has referred to as a “Ponzi scheme.” Oliver has been critical of recent attempts by Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to target Libertarian voters and has been opposed by factions of his own party that embraced further right policies. His running mate is economist and Florida native Mike ter Maat.
In addition to West, Stein and Oliver, former Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy remains on the ballot in 32 states. Kennedy, who dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump on Aug. 23, will be a third-party option in these states – which include Michigan and Wisconsin.
These third-party candidates are intentionally targeting the perceived weak spots of their major party counterparts. For Stein and West, this means distancing themselves from the Biden-Harris Administration’s support for Israel in hopes of capitalizing on the disaffected pro-Palestine bloc of the Democratic Party’s base.
Already, the American Muslim 2024 Election Task Force has urged American Muslims to support West or Stein instead of Harris. While this decision will likely influence only a small fraction of the overall electorate, Harris cannot afford to hemorrhage support in key swing states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia – all of which have relatively high Muslim minority populations.
Oliver has criticized Donald Trump’s age and criminal record while promoting his own anti-war and fiscally conservative platform. Hoping to rely on Trump’s widespread unpopularity, along with the Biden-Harris administration’s negative approval rating, all three candidates are seeking to provide a desirable avenue for protest votes.
Recent polling returns have shown Harris and Trump separated by only a few points in the seven, most important battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Throwing the third-party candidates into the mix reveals that West, Oliver and Stein each have between one and three percent of voters’ support in many of these states. With margins this tight, the entirety of this year’s election could be decided by the sliver of swing state voters who vote third-party.
In contrast to the traditional narrative that voting for a third-party candidate entails “wasting one’s vote”, 2024 results have the potential to prove that third-party voters do hold immense political power. While those results are still weeks away, one can expect that both Republicans and Democrats will be anxiously hoping West, Stein, Oliver and Kennedy do not cost them the presidency.
James Long (he/him) is a staff writer for On the Record from Knoxville, Tennessee. A freshman in the School of Foreign Service, he plans to major in International Politics and pursue a career in the law or government.