PBS News Hour

AMNA NAWAZ: With the rematch between President Joe## Biden and former President Donald# Trump officially set, third-party## candidates and well-funded organizations# are attempting to carve out their own paths.

Geoff Bennett recently took a closer look.

GEOFF BENNETT: No third-party or independent# candidate has received more than 19 percent of## the vote in modern history.

Still, the effort# to field an alternative ticket is under way.

White House correspondent Laura Barron-Lopez# has been following all of this and joins us now.

So, Laura, remind us who these# third-party candidates are and## which ones are actually gaining traction.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Right.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West.

Then,# when it comes to potential third parties,## No Labels,they don't have a# candidate yet.

Green Party,## candidate is to be determined.

Libertarian# Party, the candidate is also to be determined.

But when it comes to them getting ballot# access, a number of them are.

So, currently,## there is at least one third-party# or independent candidate from that## list that I mentioned on the ballot in 44# states so far.

But, when you take a look at## the battleground states that will ultimately# be the states that determine this election,## a third-party candidate is on the ballot in# all seven of those battleground states, Geoff.

GEOFF BENNETT: Of the candidates you mentioned,## Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is arguably the best# known.

What kind of pr.. LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: RFK Jr. has been# receiving about 19 percent of voter## support in the polls so far.

And# he's pulling right now in those## polls from both President Biden# and former President Donald Trump.

He's expected to announce a vice# presidential candidate on March 26 in## Oakland.

He's struggled to get on a number of# the ballots across states.

But, despite that,## Democrats really see him as a threat to their# candidate more so than Republicans do.

The## Democratic National Committee is heavily focusing# on RFK Jr. right now, because they see him,## as you said, this candidate with the biggest# name I.D., the Kennedy name behind him.

And they are going to be highlighting over# and over again the conspiracy theories that## he has embraced, whether that's saying that# chemicals in the water turn people transgender## or his big anti-vaccine platform, which,# again, there's no evidence there, Geoff,## that vaccines are harmful to people or# of his any other conspiracy theories.

GEOFF BENNETT: We have seen the political# group No Labels spend a lot of money trying## to field their own candidate.

They still# don't have a ticket.

Where does that stand?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: This week, they# selected a nominating committee to## pick that presidential candidate, which# they said they aimed to pick by April.

And when I talked to No Labels, they said they# aren't doing this because they want to be a## spoiler, that they're doing this because# of the fact that they see two candidates,## leading candidates, that have low# approval rating.

But they push## back on the accusations against them# that this is simply a spoiler effort.

RYAN CLANCY, Chief Strategist, No Labels:# The idea that any of us are going to put## our careers on the line and our reputations# on the line so we can be part of a shadow## effort to help Donald Trump is a joke.

That's# not what this is about.

What this is about## is providing a choice to the public that# both parties absolutely refuse to provide.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Still, Geoff, after# starting this effort nearly two years ago,## No Labels has not been able to find a presidential# candidate, and some of their leading contenders,## like former Republican Governor of Maryland# Larry Hogan and Democratic Senator Joe Manchin,## have said that they have no interest# in mounting a third-party bid.

GEOFF BENNETT: It seems to be the Democrats,## Laura, who are most concerned about a# third-party candidate siphoning off votes## from President Biden.

How are Democrats# in the Biden campaign responding to this?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Democrats are reacting# to this in a way that they never have before,## Geoff.

They say that they're not going to# make the same mistakes that were made in 2016.

And the Democratic National Committee has# a team dedicated to combating a third-party## threat now.

There was a new super PAC called Clear# Choice that was launched by Biden allies to also## confront this.

And then there's this -- these# Democratic outside groups across the spectrum,## whether it's the progressives at MoveOn or# the more moderate Democrats at Third Way,## that are really trying to tackle this.

And they say that, ultimately, right# now, their focus is on trying to## persuade potential high-profile candidates# that may mount a bid to not do so.

But,## come summer, they are going to# be heavily focused on educating## voters about what they say is the big# threat of a third-party candidacy.

MATT BENNETT, Co-Founder, Third Way: If they throw# away their vote and cast it for a third-party## candidate who has no hope of winning, they are,# in essence, helping Donald Trump, because Trump## has no way of winning a two-way race.

He cannot# get anywhere close to 50 percent of the vote, but## he can win a multicandidate race if people throw# away their votes and vote for people like Kennedy.

But between Kennedy and No Labels and# the others, there is an enormous risk.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Geoff,# that risk that Matt Bennett## is talking about is something that# the Biden campaign is well aware of.

But, right now, Biden and advisers# say that they are heavily focused## on making this a binary choice,# about they just want to present to## voters that this race is ultimately# between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

Now, if we see, come summer, that a viable or# a potential third-party candidate can pose a## significant threat to President Joe Biden, then# sources close to Biden will tell me that you## could very well see the Biden campaign or# other Democratic groups start to push out## testimonials from voters that voted in 2016# for a Green Party candidate like Jill Stein## and then saw that sway the ultimate result# in key states like Michigan and Wisconsin.

GEOFF BENNETT: That's an interesting strategy.

How are voters responding to# all of this right .. any of these candidates actually making# headway among general election voters?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: I have talked to# some potential swing voters in states## like Arizona who say that they're curious about a# third-party candidacy or an independent candidate.

Sarah Longwell, a Republican pollster# who does focus groups with a number of## independent and swing voters, says# that some voters have expressed## concern that a third-party or independent# candidate may not be totally realistic.

WOMAN: If I could only pick between# Trump and Biden, I would go Biden,## but if there's other people out there, I'm# definitely going to look at them.

However,## I also feel like a lot of times it's a# throwaway vote.

Then maybe Trump would get in.

MAN: I think that No Labels# thing is very idealist.

Like,## oh, wouldn't this be nice to have kind of a# moderate ticket?

Not pragmatic.

It's not -- we## always complain about the two-party# system, but there's no way to beat it.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Still, Longwell told me# that a lot of GOP voters who voted for Nikki## Haley in the Republican primary, which are# voters that President Joe Biden is going to## be targeting, that they are potentially# susceptible to a third-party candidate,## especially if it's a Republican# that's leading that ticket.

And again, Geoff, as you well know,## that could have a significant impact at# the margins in those battleground states.

GEOFF BENNETT: Absolutely.

Laura Barron-Lopez, thanks.. LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Thank you.