Poll: Support For Third Political Party Reaches All-Time High As GOP Fights Over Its Future - Forbes

Topline

As Republicans squabble over the direction of the party in a post-Trump world, a new survey from Gallup shows Americans are increasingly supportive of a major third party.

Key Facts

The poll, conducted January 21-February 2, 2021 in a survey of 906 adults, found 62% of Americans say a third party is needed, up 5% from September (57%), while just 33% think the parties “do an adequate job.”

Americans’ appetite for a third party is the highest it has ever been since Gallup began asking the question in 2003, driven by record-high support from Republicans.

63% of Republicans support the creation of a new party, while 70% of independents say the same.

Less than half of Democrats (46%) believe a third party is needed, down from 52% in September.

68% of Republicans want former President Donald Trump to remain the leader of the party, and 40%, a plurality, want the GOP to move further to the right.

Democrats are evenly split when it comes to the direction of the party, with 34% wanting it to become more liberal, 34% more moderate and 31% to “stay where it is.

Key Background

With Trump gone, Republicans are locked in a battle for the future of the party, a debate that came to a head during the impeachment trial. 10 Republicans voted to impeach Trump in the House, and seven GOP senators voted “guilty” on Saturday, a sign most members remain loyal to the former president.

Chief Critic

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), one of the ten House members to vote to impeach Trump, has called on her colleagues to move past the former president and ensure he “does not have a role as a leader of our party going forward.” Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Nebr.), who voted to convict Trump, has sought to reject the cult of personality surrounding Trump, arguing earlier this month that “politics is not about the weird worship of one dude.”

Crucial Quote

“The Trump movement is alive and well,”Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), one of the 47 Republican senators who voted to acquit Trump on Saturday, told Fox News Sunday one day after the conclusion of the impeachment trial. “All I can say is the most potent force in the Republican Party is President Trump. We need Trump-plus.”

What To Watch For

Trump reportedly flirted with creating a third party after the election, but backed down from the idea after aides talked him out of the idea and enough Republicans indicated they would vote to acquit the president. Last week, after the Gallup poll was conducted, Reuters reported more than 120 Republican former officials met earlier this month to discuss forming an anti-Trump third party. Cheney and other prominent anti-Trump Republicans rejected the idea, according to Reuters.

Surprising Fact

Third parties played a negligible role in the 2020 election, a pivot from 2016. Third party candidates received just 1.2% of the vote in 2020, down from 3.28% four years prior.