JACKSONVILLE, Florida. – Following Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s withdrawal from the presidential race last week, there are still potential third-party candidates impacting the race. One of them political experts are watching is Green Party candidate Jill Stein.
RELATED: Green Party’s Jill Stein remains on Wisconsin ballot after court rejects challenge
Let’s start with Kennedy. On Friday, the firebrand former Democrat withdrew from a third-party endorsement of Trump, withdrawing from all races in states where his candidacy would have hurt Trump.
“We all knew which states they were,” Kennedy said on Fox News on Sunday. “Basically ten swing states where my presence in the race would have helped Vice President Harris.”
And now there’s the Jill Stein factor. When News4JAX covered the Democratic National Convention last week, the team saw signs on the perimeter for little-known Green Party candidate Stein.
Many political observers believe that she cost Hillary Clinton the state of Wisconsin in 2016 by 31,072 votes. That is larger than the difference between Trump and Hillary, which was almost 23,000 votes.
Stein was not on the ballot in these states in 2020, but is on the ballot in four swing states this cycle: Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina and Arizona.
RELATED: Judge calls for four independent and third-party candidates to be disqualified from Georgia presidential election
“Generally, they don’t change the outcome of the race, but they can have an impact on the race because of swing states and close votes in swing states,” Rick Mullaney, political analyst at News4Jax, said of third-party candidates.
Not only the Green Party candidate, Jill Stein, but also the Libertarian Party regularly receives thousands of votes in states across the country.
Historically, Libertarian candidates tend to take more votes from Republicans. Let’s look at Georgia, where in 2020 it was a razor-thin margin. Joe Biden won Georgia by 11,779 votes. But the Libertarian candidate received more than 62,000 votes in the same election cycle.
“The Libertarian Party could gain more votes from the Republican side, so it’s hard to say, but one thing is clear: It can influence the race in swing states where the majority is close,” Mullaney said.
And the Stein affair is a big issue in the state of Michigan because she is a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause, which plays a big role in Michigan. In April, Stein was even arrested at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Missouri.
And Wisconsin-born Stein also scored a political victory yesterday: He made it onto the state’s ballot after winning a Supreme Court case.
Copyright 2024 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.
