Effects of a third party regularly in congress

What would it take for a third party to take control of some states in congress? What would the ramifications be for the government? The current system is based on one majority party and one minority party, whether it is for speaker, commits, ect. I am more interested in the effects, so lets just say some party responds specifically to local concerns and seizes power in a couple of states, and is able to keep one party from having half of either chamber. Lets also assume they don't run for president.
 
I think you would have a system where gridlock is generally less likely. If a President had a minority in Congress, but a majority if you add the third party, then suddenly legislation becomes easier to pass, as if the other main party said no to there proposals, then the President could just go to the other party to get the votes they need. There would be competition between parties to work with each other, leaving them more open to compromise. So you would probably see President's able to get more stuff passed congress, and in less watered down forms.
That could be a particularly strong selling point for a party within one region that could keep them going as a viable third party, by holding the balance of seats in Congress, they bring concessions that benefit that region, leaving a region which may have otherwise have been neglected to be the recipient of a disproportionate amount of legislative attention.
Personally I think it would make the whole system work far more smoothly. A system based on compromise is always going to be problematic whilst one party can be pretty confident of scuppering the others proposals completely by voting against them, it gives them too much power. Competition to cooperate with one another would do the US some good. That is why I think it needs some form of PR even more urgently than we do here in the UK.
 
In the 90s-early 2000s the Green Party in California was gaining decent traction and in California almost got to elect a green mayor of San Francisco. Use that as the turning point (shift the election by about three percent. Not impossible.) and the Green Party in California can probably keep up momentum to further victories to the point that by 2012 they pick up a handful of congressional seats, and maybe even break through in New York where the current most effective Green Party chapter resides.
 
Given how the scale of these breakthroughs is quite small though. They'd likely just end up acting as particularly progressive individual confess people who act as their own small grouping. Normally critically supportive of the democrats.

The big impact is it serves to break down the notion that the greens are a waste of time, atleast on the congressional level.
 

shiftygiant

Gone Fishin'
I see two outcomes:

The Third Party swings to support the Republicans or Democrats, and is eventually absorbed into the either.

Or

The Party refuses to support either and ends up only making gridlocking worse.
 
I see two outcomes:

The Third Party swings to support the Republicans or Democrats, and is eventually absorbed into the either.

Or

The Party refuses to support either and ends up only making gridlocking worse.

People coalesce behind one party to avoid splitting their vote to help the other party, but if a third party were to come into a particular state or region, then they can kick out whichever big party is closer to them. You do need a few charismatic and/or well funded people to get the ball rolling, but once you do, a particular state could get a different 2 party system than another. For example, Californians may stop voting democrat and vote green because otherwise the republicans may take over California's seats. Could have the same with a more conservative party.
 
Well, legislative gridlock isn't big problem up here, and we have three major parties and at least one minor party holding seats after every federal or provincial election.
 
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