The 2020 U.S presidential elections have garnered a lot of attention, with the focus mainly on the two major political parties in the country. However, there are also third-party candidates looking to make their mark by offering alternative solutions and perspectives.
One such candidate is Jo Jorgensen, representing the Libertarian Party. Jorgensen is a Senior Lecturer at Clemson University and holds a Ph.D. in industrial/organizational psychology from Clemson as well. She previously ran for Vice President as part of the Libertarian Party’s ticket back in 1996 alongside Harry Browne.
Jorgensen’s platform includes reducing government spending, ending foreign interventionism, eliminating income tax and replacing it with consumption tax or “fair tax,” abolishing welfare programs, drug legalization and criminal justice reform among other policies.
Another third-party candidate is Howie Hawkins of The Green Party. Hawkins was one of the co-founders of The Green Party in 1984 and has been actively involved since then. He served on Syracuse City Council for four years from 2004 to 2007.
Hawkins’ platform focuses on climate change action through transitioning to clean energy sources while creating millions of jobs in renewable energy production industries. He also supports Medicare for all, free education including college tuition debt forgiveness, workers rights protection through collective bargaining agreements among other progressive policies that aim to reduce inequality across various social-economic lines.
The Constitution Party has nominated Don Blankenship as its presidential nominee this year. Blankenship has a background as an entrepreneur having worked his way up from being a coal miner to CEO of Massey Energy Company which he led until his resignation following charges related to safety violations after an explosion occurred at Upper Big Branch Mine where twenty-nine miners died.
Blankenship’s campaign emphasizes immigration reform through building border walls and limiting legal immigration based on economic factors like employment opportunities available within America before admitting immigrants into America’s workforce market. Additionally he also supports pro-life policies and opposes gun control measures.
The American Solidarity Party is another third-party that has nominated Brian Carroll as its presidential candidate. Carroll, a retired teacher from California, was the founder of the “National Pro-Life Alliance” in 1973 which promoted anti-abortion rights.
Carroll’s platform focuses on Christian values and social justice. He supports a social safety net system that would provide support to families by reducing taxes while increasing benefits for low-income earners. Additionally he also advocates for prison reform, affordable housing initiatives and universal healthcare programs that would include mental health coverage.
These third-party candidates have been struggling to gain significant mainstream media attention or funding compared to their major party counterparts due to stringent rules regarding debate participation requirements set by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD).
According to CPD guidelines, candidates must be polling at least 15% nationally in recognized polls before they can participate in any debate which makes it difficult for third-party candidates without large-scale financial backing or recognition among voters.
Despite these challenges, these candidates still offer alternative solutions to some of America’s problems outside of those conventionally presented by Democratic or Republican parties. Third-party voting has seen a steady increase over recent years with more people looking beyond traditional options presented by major parties during elections.
It remains unclear whether any of these third-party candidates will make meaningful gains come November but one thing is certain: The ideas they represent are just as important as those presented by their major party counterparts and deserve serious consideration from all Americans when evaluating this year’s election choices.