There will be three parties contending for electoral votes this fall.

[rogerashton]

The "establishment" Republicans don't need to establish their third party. That party already exists.

The Libertarian party has ballot access in 30 states and can probably qualify in all except, possibly, Oklahoma. Their nominee in 2012 was Gary Johnson. He seems to be the leading candidate this year, and he is a plausible choice for Republicans unhappy with either Trump or Cruz. Like Trump, he is a former businessman. Unlike Trump, he was a successful entrepreneur and has experience in elective office -- he was governor of New Mexico for two terms. A proven winner. His Libertarian positions are a little extreme on free market economics, but not very extreme by modern Republican standards, and socially he is just a little more conservative than Trump. He will not get the evangelical vote, nor the white supremacist vote. He is a free-trader. But he is well positioned to appeal to Republicans who find Trump too racist, Cruz too doctrinaire, or Kasich too moderate on economic issues.

Make no mistake -- I am not supporting Johnson: I am a socialist and he could not be more distant from socialism. But if the Lib party is smart enough to nominate him again, I think he will contend strongly with the Republican nominee. Prediction: Johnson gets New Mexico and Utah, Cruz gets Texas, Oklahoma, and Alabama, and Hillary gets the rest.

[leveymg]

1. No. Four. And Hill doesn't get the rest.

Both establishment parties are seeing their best days in the mirror receding rapidly.

[TheFarseer]

2. Why can't he get on in Oklahoma?

Just curious.

[rogerashton]

9. Apparently,

they have a really high petition signature requirement.

[brooklynite]

3. Two...

Gary Johnson and Jill Stein will continue to be asterisks on the Wikipedia page.

[Fast Walker 52]

11. this year may be a bit different

certainly Johnson has a real chance to attract more vote than other years

[giftedgirl77]

4. Is the Green party the lefts version of Libertarian?

I really don't understand their purpose.

[Fast Walker 52]

12. they are non-corporate pro-environment liberals

the left of the left wing. If Bernie is not in the race, some of his supporters may vote green.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Four, Greens

If I am reading tea leaves correctly, at least one of the two outliers will reach 15 percent of votes cast nationally. Why this matters? A place at the General debate stage in 2020

[pnwmom]

10. Well, it won't be the Green party. And if the Libertarians want to pull away

the conservative free market people, great.

Real progressives would never go for the libertarian nonsense.

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. Where do you think progressives

Who feel left behind by dems will go to? Libertarian party? The hole is not on the right actually in this political realignment though I expect R's to break libertarian

[pnwmom]

14. Most will listen to Bernie. The others probably haven't been voting Democratic anyway. n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. I hate to say it

But people are angry and they want change

Oh and 43 percent of voters are non aligned

[pnwmom]

17. Many of them haven't been voting at all and yet Obama got elected twice.

Obama won despite the majority of white votes -- male and female -- going to his opponents.

And Hillary now has an advantage he didn't -- she has an advantage among white women. ( In addition to minority women, minority men, and older, more reliable voters.)

[NightWatcher]

6. Tommy Chong for President!!!

I hope that doesn't get me kicked outta here.

[Mike__M]

7. Tommy Chong is feeling the Bern

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[SheilaT]

8. Gary Johnson would not carry New Mexico.

He's very much off the radar here, although maybe it's because I only moved here in 2008 that I know so little about him. He's occasionally mentioned in the local paper, but he does not seem to have much of a political presence here at this point in his life. The impression I had when he was running for the Republican nomination in 2012 was that he was a has-been. And now that he's an avowed Libertarian, no one takes him seriously.

So I'll repeat myself: Gary Johnson would not carry this state. Moreover, I find it impossible to picture him (or any third party candidate for that matter) carrying any states.

[greymouse]

15. Greens

If Bernie doesn't get the nomination, it will be a boost for the Greens. Some people who can't stomach Hillary will vote Green to help them stay on the ballot.

[PDittie]

18. Don't discount Jesse Ventura as the Lib candidate

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/02/29/jesse-ventura-i-ll-run-for-president-if-bernie-loses.html

It's rather surreal reading that article, considering the Beast's Clinton bias and what appears to be a few contradictory statements by Jesse the Body. But keep in mind he was the second of two actors in Predator to have been elected governor of a so-called liberal state.

"Get to the choppah!"

[rogerashton]

19. Jesse is not now a candidate for the Lib nomination.

Johnson is


[link:https://www.lp.org/candidates/presidential-candidates-2016|
https://www.lp.org/candidates/presidential-candidates-2016]

Note also

http://reason.com/archives/2016/03/09/the-gops-third-party-option

Reason is a libertarian publication, NB.