62% of Americans say that a third party is needed, up from September's 57%. There's recently been chatter of a third party, first a "MAGA" / "Patriot" party comprised of disillusioned pro-Trump voters, and then more recently a center-right anti-Trump party. The former is looking increasingly nonviable due to Trump's iron grip on the Republican Party. Indeed, why form your own party from scratch when you've inherited a ready-made one waiting for commands?
The latter option, a center-right anti-Trump (and presumably pro-Democratic norms) party, is unlikely for 2 reasons. First, ballot access laws in all 50 states make a viable third party incredibly difficult. The parties that have achieved ballot access (such as the Libertarian Party or Green Party) have done so sporadically and only after sustained struggle to achieve the necessary signatures and other prerequisites. Starting a party and getting on the ballot consistently also costs a ton of money. Second, it's unclear whether there is a place for this center-right party. The Democrats are too far to the left to absorb these former GOP establishment figures, and the GOP is firmly in the hands of Trump-aligned populists. Is there a grassroots movement rivaling the MAGA movement in strength that calls for a pro-Democracy GOP? Unclear. The conversations of a center-right third party are happening among strategists, former officials, and other thought leaders. They have yet to prove that conservative voters are clamoring in great numbers for a less bombastic conservative party.
Those advocating for a center-right party have also floated the idea of creating a faction within the GOP, something akin to a moderate version of the Tea Party from the 2010s. This is challenging as well: while Mitt Romney and Lisa Murkowski are aligned in their distaste for Trump and their support for democratic institutions, they occupy different ideological lanes within the GOP. It would be difficult for them to both be a part of a unified faction within a conservative party.
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