A new poll suggests that Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein is drawing more voters from former President Donald Trump than from Vice President Kamala Harris.

According to a Noble Predictive Insights survey released last week, Harris holds a narrow lead over Trump in a hypothetical three-way race. With Stein on the ballot, Harris’ lead expands, pointing to a potential spoiler effect similar to what many Democrats blamed Stein for doing to Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.

For Trump, the emergence of Stein as a potential spoiler may be a critical factor in battleground states, where even a small shift in votes could determine the outcome. For Harris, Stein’s candidacy could paradoxically provide an unexpected advantage, drawing votes from Trump and narrowing his pathway to victory.

  • @Ledivin
    link
    -530 days ago

    There is no legitimate third-party candidate in a first past the post system.

    • @Naryn
      link
      1130 days ago

      Of course they are

      Not being likely to win doesn’t make them illegitimate.

      The UK is a FPTP system with 7.5 significant parties

      • @Ledivin
        link
        -6
        edit-2
        29 days ago

        The UK is a FPTP system with 7.5 significant parties

        … I’m not sure how to break this to you, but the UK is a monarchy and has literally never elected their leader.

        FPTP isn’t nearly as problematic in a system with distributed representation like Parliament, the Senate, or the House. It is massively problematic when electing a singular leader.

        • @Naryn
          link
          229 days ago

          It is massively problematic when electing a singular leader.

          No, it’s not. That’s how all of the elections you just listed work. That’s how first past the post works.