You very well may be correct. I’m sure fraud played a huge role in the defeat of Coleman but we don’t have to help the RATs.
The vast majority of third parties are indeed a waste of time. But those that are well managed, like the New York Conservative Party, almost saved the day.
The difference is that good third parties are grassroots and start at the local level. The turkeys are the ones that start by running a presidential candidate, and turn into spoilers, at best.
At the national level, campaigns have a “tactical map” that is very instructive about how things work. If you pick any congressional district, the first thing you look for is if it is red, blue or purple. Then you look at who they choose to represent themselves. Do they go with their dominant party, or against it? Do they support liberals or conservatives or independents? Do they keep a congressman for life or do they swap them out every two years?
It has been calculated out that a third party, just electing congressmen, not senators, could be a major powerhouse in Washington with just a dozen seats, assuming the two big parties are about tied. This is because they can accumulate enormous numbers of political IOUs from both sides, which they can use to advance their agenda.
Even the US senate is subject to this, now for the first time in a long time having two senators who are essentially independent. And a whole handful willing to turn on their own party. This maximizes their power as individuals.
But the trouble is that third parties are either presidential parties or are not motivated enough to get a dozen congressmen elected. If they were, the entire dynamic of Washington could change.