America needs – and wants – a third party in 2024. Is it really just wishful thinking?

The United States is rare among world democracies for maintaining a two-party stranglehold for most of its history.

There have always been a few niche parties, but they rarely make an impact.

In the 2020 presidential election, the Libertarian candidate received 1.2% of the votes, while the Green Party got 0.26%. Those numbers ain’t gonna cut it.

Yet if a third party ever had a chance in the big leagues, 2024 is it.

According to Gallup, nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults say Republicans and Democrats do “such a poor job” of representing the people that “a third major party is needed.”

Democrats want a 3rd option, Republicans even more so

Obviously, registered independents are the most eager, 75% of whom agreed with the survey question. More interesting is that 58% of Republicans want a new option. That number jumped 13 points in the past year.

I suspect the number among Arizona Republicans is even higher. After losing the governor’s race, Kari Lake filed for a losing U.S. Senate campaign, after which she’ll lose a second run for governor.

Despite controlling the White House, Democrats aren’t far behind in their support for a viable third party. Last year, 40% agreed with the same survey question; today, 46% support it.

A second Gallup poll showed just 42% of Americans have a positive view of the GOP, while 40% have a positive view of Democratic Party. This is the perfect environment for an outsider candidate.

Election is far from set: Are Americans stuck with a Trump vs. Biden rematch in 2024? Not even close.

US history of third-party candidates isn't pretty

Of course, the challenges for any new party are legion. The states have varying and complex electoral laws, and there’s little financial backing from money men profiting from political mess.

Another problem is third parties' traditional status as “spoilers.” Democrats pointed fingers at the Green Party for the close losses in 2016 and 2000. Republicans, meanwhile, were quick to blame Ross Perot for President Bill Clinton’s two victories.

Political nerds like me are still steamed at Teddy Roosevelt’s Bull Moose Party clearing the way for the odious Woodrow Wilson. (He was a truly awful president.)

As the country careens toward a depressing Biden-Trump rematch, there are few glimmers of hope. Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to announce an independent run, and Cornel West declared one earlier this year.

To put it politely, their appeal is limited.

We deserve a better candidate: Trump vs. Biden (again) is bad for America. We're ready with an alternative.

We can perhaps hope for ... a celebrity?

It’s unsurprising so many Americans pine for a new option.

On the left side of the fence, we have a doddering president and congressmen hiding gold bars and pulling fire alarms. To the right, an orange loser under multiple indictments and Capitol Hill kamikazes crashing into their own flight decks.

Gaetz is ruining GOP: 2024 should be cakewalk for Republicans, but they're determined to give failing Dems a win

Watching the nonsense in Washington, most Americans wonder, “Is this the best we can do?” Last week’s antics by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., would get them fired from the graveyard shift at a Gila Bend truck stop.

Maybe the U.S. Congress was the only place that would take them.

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While the idea of a third party is nice to contemplate, there is currently no popular, apolitical leader able to rally an insurgent campaign. In the past, a general could return from some great victory and win acclaim by voters in both parties.

There are no Dwight D. Eisenhowers waiting in the wings.

A more current option would be a business leader who has avoided sullying him or herself with the messy world of politics. But people are as divided on the various tech CEOs as they are on officeholders.

That leaves celebrities, heaven help us. Maybe Tom Hanks could act like a good president for the next few years while both parties get their acts together.

Jon Gabriel, a Mesa resident, is editor-in-chief of Ricochet.com and a contributor to The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, where this column first published. Find him on X, formerly Twitter: @exjon

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Republican, Democrat support for third party is up. Could it happen?