ABSTRACT
Chapter 5 explores the argument that the enactment of primary election laws in the early twentieth century undermined third parties, since opposition groups could now run in primaries for major party nominations instead of fielding third-party candidates during the general election. The chapter shows that there is little statistical or historical relationship between the rise of primary elections and decline of third parties. It also argues that the primary election argument is flawed. Unlike the Tea Party, most opposition groups are unable to raise significant campaign funding, and primary elections are inherently candidate-centered affairs that require significant spending by individual candidates.
