Hegemonic Duopoly at the Grass Roots: Why Progressive Third Parties Rarely Win State House Elections

This article addresses why US progressive third parties today seldom win state legislative elections, despite apparent opportunities to the contrary. It analyzes seventeen illustrative races for state representative in New England. It finds that seemingly viable progressive third-party candidates often lose because they are not sufficiently connected to their districts socially. Due to this deficit, they are unable to appeal to as many voters as typically better connected major party opponents. This is interpreted as indicative both of major parties' hegemonic ability to dominate local elections through sheer social influence and of the corresponding need for progressive third parties to develop more such influence.