There is an open space for a major new, centrist political party, created by the gravitational pull of the progressive and Donald Trump bases toward their respective, opposing poles on the political spectrum. This is of course a big challenge, but there is precedent.
Only once in American history has a new party replaced a major party. In 1854, at Ripon, Wisconsin; Jackson, MI; and Aurora, Illinois, a new, rather centrist Republican Party emerged that opposed the expansion of slavery into the North, replacing a Whig party that was divided on the issue. I say centrist because this wasn’t everything abolitionists wanted, but it was still a step in the right direction. And working-class men from the North were drawn to a new party that would prevent enslaved people from taking their jobs.
Moderates have been largely pushed out of political relevance by bitter polarization and the extreme gerrymandering of congressional and legislative districts in many states. You know how it works: the dominant party redraws districts and picks its voters, while the minority party’s voters concentrate in fewer districts. The dominant party in each resulting district controls the primaries, which become the elections where unorganized moderates either don’t have the numbers to compete or simply don’t participate.
This polarization has disenchanted many of the 43% of Americans who consider themselves neither Democrats nor Republicans, as indicated by a 2024 Gallup poll. In response, the people I speak to in my small-town circle want an end to the political bile and they prefer to come together to solve our problems.
Why hasn’t a Centrist Party emerged yet? First, new or “third” parties try to enter national presidential elections, where they fail to win because otherwise sympathetic voters logically drop out and cast votes where they can make a difference. This national approach is doomed to failure due to a lack of money and credibility.
Efforts at new or moderate parties have also failed in the past because their party plans were adopted by one of the major parties (the Socialist Party and its embrace of what became Social Security and Medicare) or because they were seen as fringe radicals. again, the Socialist Party).
Those who identify with neither major party are a diverse group, including middle-of-the-roaders, party-leaning and independents. Some are very committed, some uncommitted, some idiosyncratic.
Moderate or ‘center parties’ have a long tradition in Western democracies. They have often served as arbiters in resolving issues that would otherwise keep the polarizing parties at loggerheads. A Centrist Party in America would also participate in general elections instead of primaries, which would add a new alternative. Such a middle party could provide pragmatic solutions to critical problems that the major parties avoid like the plague, such as the future financing of Medicare and Social Security, and out-of-control government spending and debt.
A Centrist Party would not be competitive everywhere in the US, just as the Republicans of 1860 were not even on the ballot in the Deep South. The fertile ground in which a new centrist party could stake its stakes would be America’s rapidly diversifying suburbs. Until recent decades, Republicans dominated most suburbs, but the diversification of the suburbs and the resistance of many women there to Republican anti-abortion and rampant gun rights planks have turned many suburbs blue or purple. The generally well-educated voters there could be attracted to a credible Centrist Party focused on economic prosperity, public safety and education.
Political parties are essentially state entities and not national parties. Candidates submit petitions to national and local authorities. Each state has its unique procedures for establishing a new political party. In my state of Illinois, the key elements include circulating statewide petitions and fielding a statewide slate of candidates. The emphasis, however, should be on developing a platform of pragmatic party planks and recruiting candidates for several targeted, winnable suburban legislative and congressional districts. And build from there, as the original Republican Party did.
This would obviously not be easy. My insider friends say it’s impossible, but they are terminally conventional in their thinking, just like the Whigs. I answer that the broad middle is dissatisfied with the inaction of polarized parties and could be moved to take electoral action on critical issues.
If you would like to stay informed about the Centrist Party’s efforts, add yourself and your thoughts to a private email list at jimnowlan.net. We can make an important difference in American politics.
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