Third Parties Always Lost Before, But a Biden-Trump Matchup May Change That

First, in September, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) announced his intention to retire next year. Then, this past week, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) announced the same intention, prompting talk in Washington of a presidential ticket featuring the two. 

What could have possibly sparked the conversation around the prospects of a ticket with a 2012 presidential candidate in Romney and mostly a thorn in President Biden's side in Manchin? Perhaps it's a recent finding from Gallup. 

"Sixty-three percent of U.S. adults currently agree with the statement that the Republican and Democratic parties do ‘such a poor job’ of representing the American people that ‘a third major party is needed,’” according to the October poll report. "This represents a seven-percentage-point increase from a year ago and is the highest since Gallup first asked the question in 2003."