“That kind of argument just makes it hard, especially in a period where the parties are so polarized, where, for most voters, even if they don’t like either party, they really dislike one party a lot more,” Schickler says. “In that context, it’s a lot harder for a third party to find a way to situate itself.”
Schickler says it’s more likely that a third party would put pressure on one of the two major parties that it’s more politically aligned with to appeal to dissatisfied voters, rather than to actually run candidates that get elected.
Nolan McCarty, a professor of politics and public affairs at Princeton University, agrees. If Carlson launches a third party, and it generates enough traction, then that might force the Republican Party to accommodate some of those candidates’ platforms to regain the favor of conservative voters, McCarty says.
Recently, several other high-profile figures—including Tesla CEO and former Trump ally Elon Musk—have proposed creating new political parties, McCarty points out.
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