NEW YORK, Nov 17 (Reuters): Facing a likely choice between Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential race, many Americans are desperate for younger, less divisive options.
A large and potentially consequential market for third-party candidates - one not seen since the 1990s - is a stark reminder that in Trump and Biden, the two major parties are likely to nominate unusually unpopular candidates. Their potential rematch of the 2020 election comes as the nation grapples with economic anxiety, a sharp political divide, a controversial US- backed Israeli assault on Gaza and widespread calls for a new generation of US leadership.
Some 63 per cent of US adults currently agree with the statement that the Republican and Democratic parties do "such a poor job" of representing the American people that "a third major party is needed," according to a recent poll by Gallup. That is up 7 per centage points from a year ago and the highest since Gallup first asked the question in 2003.
Biden and Trump both face primary challengers but are expected to emerge as their party's candidates in 2024, despite deep concerns over Biden's age and Trump's string of federal and state criminal indictments. No third-party candidate has won a modern US presidential election, although they have at times played outsized roles as spoilers by taking votes from major party candidates.
In 1992, billionaire businessman Ross Perot captured 19 per cent of the vote, arguably swinging the White House to Democrat Bill Clinton over incumbent George H.W. Bush.
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