Yes, we can create a workable third party

OPINION:

American politics is trapped in a stalemate between two increasingly ideological parties that no longer reflect the country they aspire to govern. The United States urgently needs a viable third party — not a fringe crusade of left or right, but a political home for the exhausted, pragmatic and centrist majority.

Despite overpowering skepticism, the need is clear. On the right, the MAGA movement has turned the Republican Party into a destructive force that harms America’s economy and global standing and is antithetical to everything that actually made America great. On the left, the liberal movement is way out of sync with the American and even Democratic majority, yet the party will not alienate its members for fear of low turnout.

There is no more place in the Republican Party for the likes of Mitt Romney, John McCain, or even Dick and Liz Cheney. Soon, there will be no place in the Democratic Party for the likes of Joseph R. Biden or Bill Clinton. Yet every one of these people could live in a centrist grouping called, say, the America Party.

Even if America needs such a party, how do we build it in a system that has crushed every similar effort for more than a century?

The U.S. electoral system punishes new entrants. Ralph Nader siphoned votes from Democrats in 2000; Ross Perot hurt Republicans in 1992. Third parties splinter whichever major party they most resemble and thus strengthen the other side, generally.

A centrist party — fiscally responsible yet socially tolerant, respectful of institutions, firm on democracy — would split both sides. It could unite the soft left and right and independents and reorder a system badly misaligned with reality.

For it to work, we would have to forget about the noble idea of a grassroots birth. Without institutional power at launch, media, donors and voters will all ignore it. Even Elon Musk’s recent experiments in “bottom-up political innovation” collided with the same brick wall.

Rather, it would have to start with quiet, secret talks among a core group of donors, thinkers and existing legislators that constantly expand until going public. It would focus on people who already serve: moderate Democrats pushed leftward by activists, traditional Republicans stranded in a MAGA-centric ship, respected former officials who retain national credibility. These leaders have constituencies, visibility and governing skills, but not a safe structure into which they can defect.

Creating that structure would require an extremely well-funded organization. A new center party should have no trouble raising the necessary funds, as it would be a relief to much of the donor class. Its mission would be to make it viable for sitting legislators to switch affiliation. With strong financial backing and infrastructure ready to deploy, lawmakers would be free to act on convictions that current parties no longer reflect.

This is not unprecedented. The Republican Party itself was born when elected Whigs defected en masse. The Southern realignment reshaped the Democratic Party coalition in the mid-20th century.

For this to happen again, start by securing private commitments from a critical mass — say, five senators and 20 or 30 House members. Then launch the new party publicly, with committee assignments negotiated and leadership roles prepared. On Day 1, the media and voters will see an institution, not a protest movement; donors will understand they are investing in stability, not romantic futility.

Overnight, America shifts from two parties poorly representing three ideological blocs to three parties that finally map onto how people actually think. The center party should be able to attract a plurality of about half the public.

Legally, nothing stands in the way. Members of Congress may change affiliation at any time.

Would voters accept it? Absolutely. Polls consistently show that majorities want:

• Abortion rights with limits.
• Border controls with immigration rules that are humane but real.
• Taxation that rewards work but does not enable insane inequality.
• Recognition of climate risk without economic self-immolation.
• Health care that somehow offers a baseline to all citizens.

A broad center already exists on every major issue. It simply has no representation. The missing ingredient is elected leadership willing to move first. If those leaders step forward — protected, funded and united — the public will follow instantly. Americans are not rejecting alternatives; they are rejecting hopelessness.

Hopelessness is what the current two-party system now offers: rule by alternating extremes, rising mistrust, and government that can barely perform its basic functions. Without structural change, this downward spiral continues. Moderates keep losing or being “primaried,” especially in the Republican Party.

If the Democrats make inroads in the coming midterms, they may be tempted to think all is well, but it isn’t. Their liberal wing will be an electoral thorn in their side for many years to come. It will cause much of the country to hate them.

A third party is not a fantasy. It is a missing institution: the one that allows the majority to govern. Build that from the top, with seriousness and scale, and the realignment can happen almost overnight. Unless this happens, cynicism about politics, distrust in politicians, and despair about democracy will continue to build. The educated elites will eventually lose faith altogether and become anti-democratic in outlook.

I have seen this happen in many developing countries, and we do not want it in the United States.

• Dan Perry is the former Cairo-based Middle East editor and London-based Europe/Africa editor of The Associated Press, a former chairman of the Foreign Press Association in Jerusalem and the author of two books. Follow him at danperry.substack.com.