Can Third-Party Candidates Deliver Wins for Democrats?

Jeff Zeleny (0:02)

History would say that the two-party system is so entrenched that one member of one party or the other, Republican or Democrat, is more likely to win.

David Rind (0:11)

But is that still true? We know Americans are largely fed up with both political parties. In fact, the CNN poll from earlier this spring found that about one-quarter of the public holds a negative view of both parties. We call these double haters. Just 28 percent of Americans had a favorable view of the Democratic Party while Republicans didn't fare much better, a mere 32 percent. But this group of double haters could be decisive in November if either party can convince them to bite the bullet and vote for them.

This year though, Democrats in some races are banking on an unorthodox strategy, not running a Democrat at all and counting on an independent to beat a Republican. But in such a polarized environment, can a third party candidate actually win? And what would it mean for Congress if they did?

There are a few candidates putting this idea to the test and my colleague Jeff Zeleny has been on the road talking to them. From CNN, I'm David Rind and this is One Thing Midterms. Stick around.

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David Rind (1:41)

Hello, Jeff. So you're in Iowa?

SPEAKER_3 (1:43)

Hi, David.

Jeff Zeleny (1:44)

Yes.

David Rind (1:44)

How many trips have you made to Iowa over the course of your career, do you think?

Jeff Zeleny (1:48)

Oh, I mean, dozens and dozens. But what's interesting about this, we're sort of traveling some of our most interesting counties in America, those battleground pivot counties that voted for Obama, Obama, Trump, Trump, Trump.

David Rind (2:01)

I mean, and the geography is relevant to our conversation here because you've been reporting on this trend, this midterm cycle where Democrats in certain rural, western parts of the country are turning to Senate candidates and gubernatorial candidates who aren't technically Democrats. What's going on here?

Jeff Zeleny (2:18)

I mean, it's all about the Democratic brand. I mean, it is so clear throughout most parts of rural America, the Democratic brand is pretty weak. It's extinct in some areas. So that's why the Iowa races are interesting this year because Democrats actually have a real shot. But it's a little bit farther west in the Great Plains states of South Dakota, Nebraska, a little bit farther west in Montana and Idaho, where independent candidates are running for Senate. And the twist is they're doing it with the blessing of the Democratic Party, which is acknowledging that, you know what, our brand is not so hot, our candidate not likely to win. So we're getting behind an independent candidate, which of course is raising all kinds of questions and issues and eyebrows.

David Rind (3:04)

Yeah, that's wild if a national party is like, hey, we don't think we have enough sway to get this over the line. So we need some folks who aren't technically Democrats or independents to get it done. So what does that actually look like?

Jeff Zeleny (3:16)

So what it looks like is there's actually a series of military veterans in the states of Nebraska, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, who are running as independent candidates. They all have their own credentials. They're all running separate races, but sort of taken together, it's a tacit acknowledgement by Democrats that the brand is just not strong enough to overcome Republicans in these deeply red states. The question is, as an independent, are you able to sort of win enough voters from both sides to tip the balance? And we spent some time in Nebraska with Dan Osborne.

Dan Osborn (3:52)

We're too divided. We're too divided as a nation. We're too divided politically. It's time we start operating in the 40-yard line, stop operating in the end zones, get back together and start getting stuff done for people.

Jeff Zeleny (4:05)

You're not very fond of either party, it sounds like.

No, I mean, he's a former Union mechanic, a military veteran. He actually ran for Senate in Nebraska two years ago as an independent, narrowly lost. So he's trying it again, running against Senator Pete Ricketts. How do you win over voters, though, from both parties, which you clearly need to do to win?