Editing Two-party system (section)

== North America ==

=== Canada ===
[[Politics of Canada|Canada]] has a multiparty system at the federal and provincial levels. Some provinces have effectively become two-party systems in which only two parties regularly get members elected, while smaller parties largely fail to secure electoral representation, and two of the three territories are run under a non-partisan [[consensus government]] model rather than through a political party system. The provincial legislative assembly of [[Alberta]] currently has only two parties; two-party representation has also historically been common in the legislative assemblies of [[British Columbia]], [[New Brunswick]] and [[Prince Edward Island]], although all did elect some third-party members in their most recent provincial elections.

=== Caribbean ===
The [[Commonwealth Caribbean]] while inheriting their basic political and voting system from [[Great Britain]] have become two-party systems. The [[politics of Jamaica]] are between the [[People's National Party]] and the [[Jamaica Labour Party]]. The [[politics of Guyana]] are between the [[People's Progressive Party (Guyana)|People's Progressive Party]] and [[A Partnership for National Unity|APNU]] which is actually a coalition of smaller parties. The [[politics of Trinidad and Tobago]] are between the [[People's National Movement]] and the [[United National Congress]]. The [[Politics of Belize]] are between the [[United Democratic Party (Belize)|United Democratic Party]] and the [[People's United Party]]. The [[Politics of the Bahamas]] are between the [[Progressive Liberal Party]] and the [[Free National Movement]]. The [[politics of Barbados]] are between the [[Democratic Labour Party (Barbados)|Democratic Labour Party]] and the [[Barbados Labour Party]].

=== United States ===
{{Main|Political parties in the United States}}
{{See also|First Party System|Second Party System|Third Party System|Fourth Party System|Fifth Party System|Sixth Party System|Seventh Party System}}{{more citations needed|section|date=December 2019}}

{{Split section|discuss=Talk:Two-party system#United States|date=January 2021}}

The [[Politics of the United States|United States]] has two dominant political parties; historically, there have been few instances in which third party candidates won an election. In the [[First Party System]], only [[Alexander Hamilton]]'s [[Federalist Party]] and [[Thomas Jefferson]]'s [[Democratic-Republican Party]] were significant political parties. Toward the end of the First Party System, the Democratic-Republicans were dominant (primarily under the presidency of [[James Monroe]]).

Under the [[Second Party System]], the Democratic-Republican Party split during the [[1824 United States presidential election]] into Adams' Men and Jackson's Men. In the [[1828 United States presidential election|1828 presidential election]], the modern [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] formed in support of [[Andrew Jackson]]. The [[National Republicans]] were formed in support of [[John Quincy Adams]]. After the National Republicans collapsed, the [[Whig Party (United States)|Whig Party]] and the [[Free Soil Party]] quickly formed and collapsed.

In 1854 the [[Third Party System]] began when the modern [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] formed from a loose coalition of former Whigs, Free Soilers and other anti-slavery activists. The Republicans quickly became the dominant party nationally, and [[Abraham Lincoln]] became the first Republican President in the [[1860 United States presidential election|1860 presidential election]]. The Democrats held a strong, loyal coalition in the [[Solid South]]. This period saw the [[American Civil War]] where the South (which was mostly dominated by the [[Southern Democrats]]) attempted to secede as the [[Confederate States of America]], in an attempt to preserve [[Slavery in the United States|racial slavery]]. The South lost the war and were forced to [[End of slavery in the United States of America|end slavery]], and during the following [[Reconstruction Era]] the Republicans remained the most popular party nationally while the Democrats remained dominant in the South.

During the [[Fourth Party System]] from about 1896 to 1932, the Republicans remained the dominant presidential party, although Democrats [[Grover Cleveland]] and [[Woodrow Wilson]] were both elected to two terms (non-consecutively in the case of the former).

The [[1932 United States elections]] saw the onset of the [[Fifth Party System]] and a long period of Democratic dominance due to the [[New Deal Coalition]]. Democrat President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] won landslides in four consecutive elections. Other than the two terms of Republican [[Dwight Eisenhower]] from 1953 to 1961, Democrats retained firm control of the presidency until the mid-1960s. In Congress, Democrats retained majorities in both houses for 60 years until the [[Republican Revolution]], broken only by brief Republican majorities.

There was a significant change in U.S. politics in 1960,<ref>{{cite book |author1=L. Sandy Maisel |author-link1=L. Sandy Maisel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mQlZ0H2zavwC&pg=PA42 |title=Parties and Elections in America: The Electoral Process |author2=Mark D. Brewer |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |year=2011 |isbn=9781442207707 |edition=6th |page=42 |access-date=2020-05-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107201213/http://books.google.com/books?id=mQlZ0H2zavwC&pg=PA42 |archive-date=2014-01-07 |url-status=live}}</ref> and this is seen by some as a transition to a [[Sixth Party System|sixth party system]].

Since the mid-1960s, despite a couple of landslides (such as [[Richard Nixon]] carrying 49 states and 61% of the popular vote over [[George McGovern]] in [[1972 United States presidential election|1972]]; [[Ronald Reagan]] carrying 49 states and 58% of the popular vote over [[Walter Mondale]] in [[1984 United States presidential election|1984]]), presidential elections have been competitive between the predominant Republican and Democratic parties and no one party has been able to hold the presidency for more than three consecutive terms.

Throughout every American party system, no third party has won a presidential election or majorities in either house of Congress. Despite that, third parties and third party candidates have gained traction and support. In the election of [[1912 United States presidential election|1912]], [[Theodore Roosevelt]] won 27% of the popular vote and 88 electoral votes running as a [[Progressive Party (United States, 1912)|Progressive]]. In the [[1992 United States presidential election|1992 presidential election]], [[Ross Perot]] won 19% of the popular vote but no electoral votes running as an Independent.

Modern [[Politics of the United States|American politics]], in particular the [[United States electoral college|electoral college system]], has been described as duopolistic since the Republican and Democratic parties have dominated and framed [[policy]] debate as well as the public discourse on matters of national concern for about a century and a half. [[Third party (United States)|Third Parties]] have encountered various blocks in [[ballot access|getting onto ballots]] at different levels of government as well as other electoral obstacles, such as denial of access to general election debates. Since 1987, the [[Commission on Presidential Debates]], established by the Republican and Democratic parties themselves, supplanted debates run since 1976 by the [[League of Women Voters]]. The League withdrew its support in protest in 1988 over objections of alleged stagecraft such as rules for camera placement, filling the audience with supporters, approved moderators, predetermined question selection, room temperature and others.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statement by Nancy M. Neuman, President, League of Women Voters &#124; League of Women Voters |date=October 3, 1988 |url=https://www.lwv.org/newsroom/press-releases/statement-nancy-m-neuman-president-league-women-voters |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191227175105/https://www.lwv.org/newsroom/press-releases/statement-nancy-m-neuman-president-league-women-voters |archive-date=2019-12-27 |access-date=2019-12-27}}</ref> The Commission maintains its own rules for admittance<ref>{{Cite web |title=CNNfyi.com - Nader and Buchanan excluded from first presidential debate - October 3, 2000 |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2000/fyi/news/10/03/debate.omissions/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107072257/http://edition.cnn.com/2000/fyi/news/10/03/debate.omissions/index.html |archive-date=2019-01-07 |access-date=2019-12-27}}</ref> and has only admitted a single third-party candidate to a televised debate, [[Ross Perot]], in [[1992 United States presidential election|1992]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Fain |first=Thom |date=September 26, 2016 |title=What is the Commission on Presidential Debates, and what do they do? |url=https://www.sj-r.com/zz/elections/20160926/what-is-commission-on-presidential-debates-and-what-do-they-do |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606214709/https://www.sj-r.com/zz/elections/20160926/what-is-commission-on-presidential-debates-and-what-do-they-do |archive-date=June 6, 2020 |access-date=June 6, 2020 |work=[[The State Journal-Register]] |location=Springfield, Illinois}}</ref>

Some parts of the US have had their own party systems, distinct from the rest of the country.
* In [[Puerto Rico]], there is a [[multi-party system]] with the [[Popular Democratic Party (Puerto Rico)|Popular Democratic Party]] and [[New Progressive Party (Puerto Rico)|New Progressive Party]] being the two strongest parties. Minor parties in the 2021 legislature include the [[Puerto Rican Independence Party]], [[Citizens' Victory Movement]] and [[Project Dignity]].
* In [[Guam]], the [[Popular Party (Guam)|Popular Party]] was the only political party from 1949-1954, and was dominant until 1967 when they became affiliated with the Democrats. Since then, the Democrats and Republicans have been the two main parties.
* In the [[Northern Mariana Islands]], the Democrats and Republicans are the two main parties but as recently as 2013, the Governor was a member of the [[Covenant Party (Northern Mariana Islands)|Covenant Party]].
* In [[American Samoa]], the [[American Samoa Fono]] (territorial legislature) is non-partisan, and on ballots only candidate names are displayed, not political parties. The Governor has typically been either Democrat or Republican.
* In the [[US Virgin Islands]], the Democrats and Republicans have been the main two parties, but two Governors during the 1970s were part of the [[Independent Citizens Movement]], and from 2015-2019 the Governor was an independent.