But if all the splinter third party candidates got their act together and mobilized themselves and developed a solid platform, they could certainly make a run themselves.
I hate to use Jesse Ventura as an example, but he really was a true independent candidate, with a solid platform and didn't act like a politician. What he said resonated with the people of Minnesota who were sick of the politicians, sick of the promises and infighting. He did a lot of good when he was in office and fulfilled his campaign promises.
A lot of people look at the light rail in Minnesota as a huge success, but it was Ventura who believed in the project from the beginning and actually got additional funding to keep it going when both Democrats and Republicans were trying to kill the project.
But if all the splinter third party candidates got their
act together and mobilized themselves and developed a
solid platform, they could certainly make a run
themselves.
Yeah, but, see, the Libertarian Party and the Socialist Party (and those aren't even the most divergent among the non-major parties) aren't going to unite around a common policy platform. In fact, each of them is closer to policy commonality with one of the major parties than they are too each other.
[1] In America. http://www2.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html