COUNTDOWN IS ON FOR CONTRESS; SLIM CHANCE OF WINNING FOR THIRD PARTIES

Missouri has six political parties on Tuesday's election ballot, the most since 1952 when there were eight on the ballot.

In the 8th District, two third-party candidates are in the field of five candidates running for Congress.

David Zimmer of Cape Girardeau is on the ballot as the Natural Law Party candidate; Greg Tlapek of Cape Girardeau is the Libertarian candidate.

Zimmer's party wants major campaign reform and scientific approaches to effective government.

Tlapek's Libertarian Party is an anti-tax party that wants less government.

They are issue-oriented candidates who have virtually no chance of winning the election, political experts say.

Tlapek and Zimmer recognize the political realities. But they argue their candidacies should appeal to voters who want real changes in government.

Third-party candidates offer some of the best ideas in politics, Zimmer said.

Tlapek said Republican and Democratic candidates are more alike when it comes to government spending than they are different.

But while third parties add to the political tapestry this election year, the real political power remains with Republicans and Democrats.

In a two-party system, third-party candidates have little chance to win any political office, Southeast Missouri State University political scientists say.

There always have been major and minor third parties in this nation, said Dr. Peter Bergerson, who chairs the political science department at Southeast.

But even major third parties typically get at most 3 to 5 percent of the vote in any election.

"Just because people are disgruntled or dissatisfied or unfulfilled in politics, that doesn't necessarily mean it is a fertile ground for a major third party," he said.

Dr. Russell Renka, a political scientist at Southeast, said third parties can't compete successfully with the Republicans and Democrats.

"It is a winner-take-all system, not a winner, place and show system," he said.