Fringe Candidates Can Have a Huge Influence on an Election
A story to keep in mind as the upcoming U.S. presidential election approaches
“The polls are scaring me,” my friend Brad said of the 2024 United States presidential election, now less than 3 months away. “With or without the fringe candidates included, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are within one point of each other.” Robert Kennedy Jr., Jill Stein, and Cornel West are also running and are included in 5-way polls.
“Doesn’t matter. The third-party candidates will have no effect on the outcome of this race,” said a man nearby who overheard.
I hope that’s true. However, there’s a chance of such a candidate’s presence influencing government for decades. I’ve seen it happen before, not at a national level, but at a local level.
Let me tell you about the 1991 mayoral election of Memphis, Tennessee.
The candidate from Zambodia
Dick Hackett was the incumbent mayor of 9 years running for reelection. A white, “establishment” candidate, Hackett’s popularity had waned as major corporations moved out of the city and scandals over sports arena funding dominated the news.
