- Collection:
- Atlanta University and Clark Atlanta University Theses and Dissertations
- Title:
- The impact of independent and third party politics on attaining the US presidency: an analysis of the George Wallace, John Anderson and Ross Perot campaigns and implications for voter dealignment, 1996
- Creator:
- Caiazzo, Thomas A.
- Date of Original:
- 1996-07-01
- Subject:
- Degrees, Academic
Dissertations, Academic - Location:
- United States, Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta, 33.749, -84.38798
- Medium:
- theses
- Type:
- Text
- Format:
- application/pdf
- Description:
- This dissertation analyzes the impact of independent and third party politics on the American presidency, emphasizing the 1968 George C. Wallace, the 1980 John B. Anderson, and the 1992 Ross Perot presidential candidacies and implications for voter dealignment. This study examines the history of third parties, the many obstacles that independent and third party candidates encounter in their pursuit of the presidency, the presidential candidacies of Wallace, Anderson, Perot, contemporary voter dealignment, and the call for and the creation of a new political party. Both primary and secondary sources were used in this research. The study's variables were quantitatively tested with existing data from the American National Election Studies ( ANES ) and from primary data obtained from surveys both of registered voters in six counties throughout the state of Georgia, and United We Stand America ( UWSA ) of Georgia members. The findings in the study reveal that not only did the presidential endeavors of Wallace, Anderson, and Perot have a major impact on the presidency, but that their candidacies came about because of extreme voter discontent with the two-party system; i.e. voter dealignment. The study also suggests that this voter dealignment trend is still prevalent today with the rise of independent identification, split-ticket voting, interest groups, and support for third party candidates. This research further shows that, despite voter discontent with the two-party system, the American electorate is nonetheless undecided about the creation and long-term support of a "new" political party to compete with the Republicans and Democrats.
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12322/cau.td:1996_caiazzo_thomas_a
- Rights Holder:
- Clark Atlanta University
- Holding Institution:
- Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library
- Rights:
-
