Three's a Crowd

Reveals how the ""dynamic of third parties"" fuels the continuing evolution of our political system Three's a Crowd examines the reverberating effects of Ross Perot's historic 1992 and 1996 presidential campaigns. In clear and incisive language, authors Ronald Rapoport and Walter Stone show readers how the Perot campaigns epitomized the influence of third parties on American politics, producing the Republican Party's 1994 resurgence and shaping major-party competition in the elections since that watershed year. The history of American third parties follows a simple are: in one election, the third party raises new issues and defines new voter bloes; in the next, the major parties move in, ""bidding"" for these new issues and voters. In absorbing new constituencies, however, the major parties open themselves to change. Three's a Crowd is the first in-depth look at the supporters of a major third-party movement and the first study to examine the consequences of an insurgent electoral movement for major-party competition and change. Political scientists Ronald Rapoport and Walter Stone enjoyed unprecedented access to the Perot campaign, from the base electorate to the highest levels. The resulting book is a rich and authoritative study of the third parties' disproportionate influence on the American system, and a must-read for anyone interested in the future of American party politics.