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Third Parties

Submitted by Matt Zagaja on Tue, 08/31/2010 - 21:00
I noticed today via a Capitol Watch Blog Post that Ken Krayeske has been nominated to run against my Congressman John Larson by the Green Party. The blog post depicts a candidate that is realistic about his chances (suggesting that while he might not win he hopes to raise the requisite $15,000 to participate in League of Women Voters Debates). Krayeske joins Tom Marsh, a candidate for Governor, and John Mertens, a candidate for senate, in a club of candidates that probably do not have a chance to win but will be on the ballot in November.

What role can these third party candidates play in these races? Krayeske seems to take a two pronged approach. First suggesting that he wants to build the Green Party. I think that this is a good approach to take because I do not believe people identify with parties as strongly as the people and the personalities behind the party. Without strong leaders and candidates running on the party line and bringing the party message to the people I do not believe a party can flourish. Secondly he looks to make pointed criticisms of the incumbent. Here he can bring to light issues people have but that have not yet been publicly voiced. Here we see that elections are good for holding the incumbent's feet to the fire and making sure that citizens get the best representation possible.

Ultimately the thing that surprises me the most is that in spite of the general cynicism that most people seem to have towards politics and the current people in power, third parties have not taken off. Even the big "Tea Party" movement seems to associate itself with the Republican Party instead of forming its own entity. It makes me seriously question whether a third party might ever become viable on a statewide level.

Thoughts about Third Parties

Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Wed, 09/01/2010 - 02:26.
Duverger's_law "asserts that a plurality rule election system tends to favor a two-party system".  Beyond that, it is often suggested that the two parties in power are not really two parties, but are a single party of incumbency, and that the rules that they put in place are done in a way to protect incumbency.

It seems as if both of these arguments are strong reasons why it is so difficult for third parties to make a lot of progress despite varying levels of voter discontent.

For another article about Ken's campaign, check out the CTNewsJunkie story, Krayeske squeaks in for Green Party nomination in 1st Congressional District.  It is also worth noting that the Green Party is running Scott Deshefy in the Second Congressional District and Charlie Pillsbury in the Third Congressional District.

They also have Colin Bennett running for State Senate in the 33rd District and two candidates for State Representative.

The Socialist Action Party is running Christopher J Hutchinson in the First Congressional District.

The Libertarian Party is running Daniel Reale in the Second and Walter Gengarelly in the fifth.  

They are also fielding two State Senate candidates, Charlie Aspinwall in the 17th District and Marc Guttman in the 20th.  They are running two candidates for State Representative and have cross endorsed the Republican in one race.

The Working Family Party takes a different approach, taking advantage of fusion voting and often endorsing Democrats for larger offices.  So far, they've cross endorsed Larson, Courtney and DeLauro for 2010.  They have also cross endorsed two Democrats in the State Senate and nine Democrats for State Representative.  However, some times they endorse other candidates.  They've done a good job as establishing themselves in Hartford.  If I recall properly they have also done well in some Waterbury and Bridgeport elections.

The Independent Party seems to have a similar approach and have cross endorsed Republican Sam Caligiuri in the Fifth.  They've also cross endorsed Michael Mclachlan for State Senate in the 20th District. For State Representative, they've cross endorsed six Republicans and are running five of their own candidates. Besides Marsh for Governor, they are also running Warren Mosler for U.S. Senate.

If I recall properly, the minor parties still have a few days to make their endorsements, so we may see other 

It is also interesting to look at the League of Women Voter's requirement that congressional candidates raise at least $15,000 to participate in their debates.  I believe this reinforces the party of incumbency and discourages debate and participation.  More significantly, it reinforces the need for financial support instead of voter support, which I believe further damages our democratic institutions.  It may also be damaging the League as their membership drops off.

Beyond Connecticut, there are some interesting third party developments.  In Florida, Charlie Crist has decided to run as an independent candidate.  In Colorado, Tom Tancredo is running for Governor as a member of the American Constitution Party.

Cross Endorsements

Submitted by Tessa Marquis on Fri, 09/03/2010 - 17:03.

Cross endorsements give people an opportunity to vote for a candidate while not associating themselves with a given Party, which helps them if they feel that the party line vote is a form of swearing fealty.

Where I live, State Senator Gayle Slossberg (Milford/Orange/West Haven)  has been cross endorsed by the tea-party-leaning Milford Independent Party, while State Rep candidate Kim Rose has been endorsed by the Working Families Party. Both are registered Democrats, running on the Democratic Party line. The State Reps race for that district (118th) includes the Republican Chairman of the Board of Aldermen and the Chairman of the Milford Independents.