Liberal Republican States?

So, assuming the Liberal Republicans remain a separate party (from a stronger showing at the 1872 elections), what states become their strongholds? Would they see the same increase in the 1874 midterm elections that the OTL Democrats did? Would they have the power to supplant the Democrats as a major party?
 
The US political system (especially at the national level; you can't split the presidency) is not well-suited to allowing third parties to survive. So either the Liberal Republicans supplant the Democrats fairly quickly (in which case they probably take over the Democrats' base of support and become a primarily Southern and immigrant party) or they fade away.
 
The Liberal Republicans did not have an issue set that had staying power. They were for ending Reconstructing early (which got Greeley the Democrat nomination) and they were mainly anti-corruption. All parties are pure as the driven snow in opposition, but once in power, it is hard to maintain, human nature being what it is.

Basically they were abolitionist democrats in the post-Civil War era. They were never going to last long.

And I agree that three party system is tricky in the US. The only way for it to work would be for a highly regional base of support that could consistently elected 7 to 9 Senators who had the balance of power, and bunch of Representatives.

And the Presidency can be split, sort of. Imagine a coalition situation sort of like what exists in Australia. A major party candidate cuts a deal with the third party, who supplies the VP spot on the ticket. Could work.
 
Alright, fair enough. Perhaps if enough Bourbon Democrats switch, the party could be reorganized into a lasting force? This would be before the 1874 Democratic landslide. How many would switch?
 

Dirk_Pitt

Banned
What would they call themselves?

I doubt they'd call themselves Republicans and associate themselves with the opposition.
 
The US political system (especially at the national level; you can't split the presidency) is not well-suited to allowing third parties to survive. So either the Liberal Republicans supplant the Democrats fairly quickly (in which case they probably take over the Democrats' base of support and become a primarily Southern and immigrant party) or they fade away.

You may have a strongly regionally-based party. It could remain afloat bargaining its electoral votes as tie-breakers. Or a very solid non-regional constituency, though it's harder because the States are so important for the power distribution within the system, somewhat favoring localised constituencies (this might be a factor in the relative weakness of class-based politics in the US compared to Europe; the Socialists would have an harder time in the Electoral College than in most other form of assembly).
However, I agree that in general third parties are likely to have a rough time in the US.
 
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