 | Third Parties in America: Citizen Response to Major Party Failure - Updated and Expanded Second Edition In recent years a growing number of citizens have defected from the major parties to third party presidential candidates. Over the past three decades, independent campaigns led by George Wallace, John Anderson, and Ross Perot have attracted more electoral support than at any time since the 1920s. Third Parties in America explains why and when the two-party system deteriorates and third parties flourish. Relying on data from presidential elections between 1840 and 1992, it identifies the situations in which Americans abandon the major parties and shows how third parties encourage major party responsiveness and broader representation of political interests. Edward H. Lazarus, born March 2, 1959, in Chicago, received a B.A. from the University of California, San Diego and M.A. and M.Phil. from Yale University. He has been an instructor in political science at Yale University, a partner with Information Associates (political pollsters) in Washington, D.C., and a Fellow of the Roosevelt Center for American Policy Studies. His book Third Parties in America: Citizen Response to Major Party Failure (with Steven J. Rosenstone and Roy L. Behr) examines the history of minor political parties in the United States. (Bowker Author Biography) |
