The Current State of Our Two-Party Political System

This episode originally aired in July 2019 on the since retired Pertinent Information Podcast. In this episode, Josh and I talk about the current state of the two-party system in the United States. We go into how we got here, and do third party candidates have a shot at ever being elected to significant political positions.

Right around when this episode originally aired, Justin Amash, who was originally a Republican, became an independent. And in April 2020 joined the Libertarian Party. Amash has served as a United States Representative for Michigan's 3rd congressional district since 2011. In 2020, he started a campaign to run for President as a Libertarian. However, he abandoned his campaign just a month in.

On Twitter, Amash commented on the current state of our two-party political system saying: “Electoral success requires an audience willing to consider alternatives, but both social media and traditional media are dominated by voices strongly averse to the political risks posed by a viable third candidate. The new reality of social distancing levels the playing field among the candidates in many respects, but it also means lesser-known candidates are more dependent on adequate media opportunities to reach people.”

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