Obstacles In The Election Of 1912

Election of 1912 plays a significant role in understanding the political system of United States. This election presents evidence to how third parties can impact the election results. The election of 1912 had two third-party candidates running for President among the two major parties, Theodore Roosevelt as Progressive party candidate and Eugene V. Debs representing Socialist party. Even though they both were third parties, they had to encounter different obstacles on their journey. This election illustrates two different aspects of third parties. The presidential election of 1912 displays the power of third parties and how it is ignored by the people and the government. Third party candidates journey through different paths as to the two major parties. This election demonstrates the different kinds of obstacles that third parties confront on their journey when compared to the other two major parties and their journey. Moreover, the popularity of …show more content…
Candidates of two major parties already have the necessary connection with other members inside government to help win the election. Third party candidates usually don’t have this kind of resources inside the government. Donald J. Green states in his book called “Third-Party Matters” that “The election of 1912 was a testament to Roosevelt’s personal popularity, his prestige as a former president, his ability to win financial backing, and his success in luring local Republican organizations to the Bull Moose cause ”. Since Roosevelt was the former president of United States he had connections within government and the republic party. His title helped him to gain leverage in winning the election which would be unusual with third parties. Normally, third party candidates such as Eugene V. Debs has a hard time getting inside the circle of congress because they lack experiment and connections with powerful members in