DNC attacks Jill Stein in new ad: Who are the third-party candidates running for president?
With just over three weeks until the Nov. 5 election, opinion polls show a tight race, especially in the seven battleground states that will determine the outcome. As a result, the Democratic National Committee released its first-ever television ad targeting third-party candidate Jill Stein as a spoiler who only benefits former President Donald Trump's reelection.
The ad opens with a photo of Stein slowly transforming into the Republican presidential nominee. “Why are Trump's close allies helping her? Stein was key to Trump's 2016 wins in battleground states,” says the narrator. “She's not sorry she helped Trump win. That's why a vote for Stein is really a vote for Trump.”
The ad follows Stein's growing support among Arab Americans and Muslims in battleground states like Michigan, Arizona and Wisconsin where they have large populations that helped propel President Joe Biden to narrow victories in the 2020 election.
"The Democrats have lost the Muslim American and the Arab American vote," Stein told Reuters after a rally attended by about 100 people in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn on Sunday. "They're going to be losing enough swing states that they will not win and they cannot win."
Asked about her potentially taking votes from Harris and helping Trump in those states, Stein said after a rally in Michigan on Sunday, "This is a very dire situation that will be continued under both Democrats and Republicans. So we say there is no lesser evil in this race."
The Democratic party called Stein "a spoiler candidate" with no path to victory.
"She put Donald Trump in the White House in 2016 and she's ready to do it again. A vote for Stein is a vote for Trump," said Adrienne Watson, senior adviser to the Democratic National Committee.
Who are the third-party candidates still running for president in 2024?
Jill Stein
Jill Stein, 73, is a physician and environmental activist who has run for president as a member of the Green Party in both 2012 and 2016. She announced her 2024 run in November of 2023.
Democrats have argued that she contributed to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's loss in the 2016 election after Stein garnered more votes than the margin of Trump’s victory in three swing states, something the new DNC ad doubles down on.
Stein has called for abolishing student and medical debt. On her website, she includes a “pledge to stop genocide,” referring to Israel-Hamas war. A September report showed that Stein was leading both Harris and Trump among Muslim voters in the swing states of Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Chase Oliver
Chase Oliver, a former Democrat, won the Libertarian Party nomination over RFK Jr. and Trump in May. He is a 38-year-old openly gay anti-war activist who has called for abolishing the Federal Reserve and opposes Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Oliver has run for office unsuccessfully before in a special election for Georgia’s 5th Congressional District in 2020 and for U.S. Senate in 2022. In the latter, he received enough of the vote (2%) to force a runoff between Senator Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker.
Cornel West
Cornel West, 71, originally launched his presidential campaign in June 2023 under the People’s Party, a third party led by a former Sen. Bernie Sanders campaign staffer. However, he has since announced that he is running as an independent.
West is a philosopher, activist, and author who has taught at Harvard and Yale Universities, along with other institutions. He is currently a professor of philosophy at Union Theological Seminary. A progressive activist who has criticized former President Barack Obama, he has promised to end poverty and guarantee housing. He has also been a vocal critic of Israel for its part in the conflict in the Middle East.
Reuters contributed to the reporting of this story.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: In Jill Stein ad, DNC attacks third party presidential candidate