--- title: A Third-Party Reality Check description: Odds for a third party candidate are close to nil. It's a race for Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton in California. Trump invokes MLK. canonical: https://time.com/4352080/a-third-party-reality-check/ author: Zeke Miller article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-05-31T14:11:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T17:55:51.063Z article:section: Politics og:title: A Third-Party Reality Check og:description: Odds for a third party candidate are close to nil. It's a race for Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton in California. Trump invokes MLK. og:url: https://time.com/4352080/a-third-party-reality-check/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5b89ea3c51915c5/698895a8428a9e9298cd2da2/trump-supporter.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: A supporter of the presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump holds a sign at a campaign rally, May 25, 2016 in Anaheim, California. / AFP / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images) og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: A Third-Party Reality Check twitter:description: Odds for a third party candidate are close to nil. It's a race for Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton in California. Trump invokes MLK. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5b89ea3c51915c5/698895a8428a9e9298cd2da2/trump-supporter.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # A Third-Party Reality Check by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller May 31, 2016 2:11 PM UTC  A supporter of the presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump holds a sign at a campaign rally in Anaheim, Calif. on May 25, 2016. A supporter of the presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump holds a sign at a campaign rally in Anaheim, Calif. on May 25, 2016.Robyn Beck—AFP/Getty Images by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller May 31, 2016 2:11 PM UTC **_If you only read one thing:_** _Another third party reality check: It is true that both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are remarkably weak and unlikeable nominees, and more Americans are frustrated with their choices for the White House than any time in recent memory. But the odds of any other candidate having a legitimate shot at winning the White House with 270 electoral votes are_ [_close to nil_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMRrNY0pxfM)_. First, the Libertarian fantasy: the party that advocates for reducing the size of government and non-intervention has already found its potential coalition (isolationist-leaning Republicans who could plausibly vote for them) divided by Trump. And frustrated Democrats (read: Bernie Sanders supporters) aren’t going to vote for a ticket to dramatically reduce the size of government. The Green Party fantasy: Give me a break. … And finally, the conservative alternative fantasy. This one has been teased by Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol for months, almost weekly promising a candidate to take up the mantle of frustrated neocons. But even if Kristol could find a candidate who wanted to run, and even if he could overcome the MASSIVE ballot access hurdles (the Texas filing deadline for its 38 electoral votes has already passed) this candidate would have no clear ideological lane to win the White House. So when we you hear the press talk about third-party candidates, they’re not winners—they’re spoilers. The question is, against which candidate do they do the most harm._ **Bernie Sanders** is giving **Hillary Clinton** a run for her money in California, with the former Secretary of State adjusting her schedule this week to spend more time in the Golden State before the June 7 primary. Nevertheless, Clinton is set to win enough delegates to clinch the nomination that day, making her the presumptive nominee, and clearing the stage for Democratic Party institutions, including **President Obama**, to line up behind her. But the bitter primary fight has taken its toll on Clinton, forcing her to shift leftward on key positions, and delaying her focus on **Donald Trump**. Meanwhile, the threat from Sanders isn’t going to end, as he plans to contest key planks of the platform at the convention—where he will test the resolve of Clinton’s coalition and potentially draw her away from the mainstream. Trump is set to hold a press conference to reveal the beneficiaries of his January fundraising-appeal-in-lieu-of-debate. His campaign has shifted its story on the giving multiple times over the past several months, but now it appears Trump has finally distributed the cash. Trump has claimed he was being victimized by media efforts to hold him accountable for his words, a line of argument he is expected to repeat Tuesday. The episode is the latest case where Trump has dominated news-cycles with extraneous process stories—which he has in some cases planted and always nurtured—as he seeks to soak up as much of the limelight as possible and steer the debate from issues toward his personality-driven candidacy. Trump invokes MLK. Holder praises Snowden. And a top Clinton aide seeks to reassure supporters over emails. Here are your must-reads: **Must Reads** [Donald Trump Says No, He Won’t Debate Bernie Sanders ](http://time.com/4351261/donald-trump-bernie-sanders-debate-no/)But both candidates win by trolling Clinton \[TIME\] [Eric Holder Says Edward Snowden Performed a ‘Public Service’ ](http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/30/politics/axe-files-axelrod-eric-holder/index.html)Former AG says he still needs to face consequences \[CNN\] [Clinton’s Challenge: Become a Change Agent in a Year Shaped by Voter Fury ](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/clintons-challenge-become-a-change-agent-in-a-year-shaped-by-voter-fury/2016/05/30/73c7bca8-23ae-11e6-8690-f14ca9de2972%5Fstory.html)Message of competence isn’t enough \[Washington Post\] [Can Donald Trump Win? These Battleground Regions Will Decide ](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/30/us/politics/donald-trump-general-election-battleground.html?em%5Fpos=medium&emc=edit%5Fcn%5F20160531&nl=first-draft&nl%5Fart=2&nlid=55003713&ref=headline&te=1&%5Fr=0)Trump’s plans to expand the general electorate will confront demographic trends \[New York Times\] [From Ike to Obama, CIA Has Briefed Presidential Candidates ](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US%5FCAMPAIGN%5F2016%5FINTELLIGENCE%5FBRIEFINGS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT)Briefings for Clinton and Trump to start after July conventions \[Associated Press\] [Business Makes Senate Push ](http://www.wsj.com/articles/business-makes-senate-push-1464650851?mod=e2tw)U.S. Chamber of Commerce hopes to keep the GOP from losing control of the Senate in November \[Wall Street Journal\] **Sound Off** “I thought this would be like Dr. Martin Luther King, where the people will be lined up from here all the way to the Washington Monument.” — Donald Trump appearing Sunday at the Rolling Thunder rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington “Trump is not going to change the institution. He’s not going to change the basic philosophy of the party.” — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Donald Trump **Bits and Bites** [Rubio Says He Apologized to Trump for ‘Small Hands’ Jest](http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/29/politics/marco-rubio-jake-tapper-interview/index.html) \[CNN\] [Animal Rights Activists Disrupt Sanders Rally in Oakland](http://time.com/4352020/animal-rights-activists-disrupt-sanders-rally-oakland/) \[Associated Press\] [Memorial Day’s True Legacy](http://time.com/4350776/memorial-days-true-legacy/) \[TIME\] [Judge Criticized by Donald Trump Unseals Trump University Case Files](http://time.com/4351757/donald-trump-judge-unseals-trump-university-documents/) \[TIME\] [Major Environmental Group Backs Hillary Clinton in its First Presidential Endorsement](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/05/31/major-environmental-group-makes-first-ever-endorsement-of-hillary-clinton/) \[Washington Post\] [Campaign Chairman: Clinton Knows Email Setup Was A ‘Mistake’](https://www.buzzfeed.com/rubycramer/campaign-chair-clinton-knows-email-setup-was-a-mistake?utm%5Fterm=.pornOZPEQ#.bxypbDZOP) \[BuzzFeed\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4352080/a-third-party-reality-check/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4352080/a-third-party-reality-check/"},"headline":"A Third-Party Reality Check","datePublished":"2016-05-31T14:11:11.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T17:55:51.063Z","description":"Morning Must Reads: May 31","url":"https://time.com/4352080/a-third-party-reality-check/","keywords":["Morning Must Reads"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5b89ea3c51915c5/698895a8428a9e9298cd2da2/trump-supporter.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Zeke Miller","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5b89ea3c51915c5/698895a8428a9e9298cd2da2/trump-supporter.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A supporter of the presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump holds a sign at a campaign rally, May 25, 2016 in Anaheim, California. / AFP / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)","caption":"A supporter of the presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump holds a sign at a campaign rally, May 25, 2016 in Anaheim, California. / AFP / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)","creditText":"Robyn Beck—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4352080/a-third-party-reality-check/","name":"A Third-Party Reality Check"}}]}] ```