How third-party and independent candidates could threaten Democrats and Republicans in 2024
By STEVE PEOPLES
AP National Political Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Two political outsiders have taken steps to launch independent or third-party presidential bids over the past week. And the prospect of at least two more looms. Leaders in both major political parties acknowledge the rise of serious outsider candidates threatens to undermine the strength of Democratic and Republican candidates in the 2024 general election. Anti-vaccine activist Robert Kennedy Jr. is a scion of the Democratic dynasty but is expected to become the latest to launch an independent or third-party presidential bid Monday in Philadelphia. The rise of such outsider candidates in 2024 reflects the extraordinary unpopularity of both major parties, led by Joe Biden and Donald Trump.