AP U.S. History Question of the Day
Daily challenge for AP U.S. History. Test yourself and track progress.
The major political parties in the United States, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, are well recognized to the voting public. There are 50 additional political parties in the United States, however, that are active and offer candidates for President. These are collectively known as Third Parties. Third Parties serve an important role in the United States political system. These parties, formed by individuals with particular interests, issues, and ideologies, force the major parties to address new issues and can influence an election by taking votes from both major party candidates during an election year. Third Parties are also formed when individuals, dissatisfied with the major parties, split off from the major party. This type of Third Party is also called a Splinter Party. Third Parties have influenced American elections since 1912. There have been many well-known Third Party Presidential candidates.
The election of 1992 saw a third party candidate run for the Presidency. This candidate was one of the most successful third party candidates since 1912. This candidate did not win any Electoral College votes but did win a respectable percentage of the popular vote. Who was this candidate, what percentage of the popular vote did he win and what was the name of his party?