Are there any data (polling or otherwise) showing levels of support for third party candidates?
I find those number very questionable. Minor party candidates almost never get more than 2 or 3 percent, and usually less than 1 percent. I think Nader got around 2% last time, maybe more, but he will almost certainly get less this time, if past history is any quide. Third party candidates usually do the best the first time out; after that, their support slips in subsequent elections. Most people know that third party candidates are a sideshow. A vote for one is mainly a symbolic vote. In swing states, I expect the vote for third party candidates to be much less than in states which are clearly on one side or the other. There are reasons to run a candidate, even though you get no votes. I think they have something to do with access to federal funds, or strategically, to build a local presence by showing national scope. That’s not enough to justify the numbers reported by Rasmussen.
