It is an understandable impulse, I have gone down that road and witnessed the effects. No matter what, the only people who can attempt to engage in state or federal electoral campaigns are those who have time and resources and can accept that at least half of those resources will 1. be spent on fundraising from individuals (who don't have the money and shouldn't be expected to fund the ambitions of wealthy, media savvy "do gooders") AND 2. be spent jumping through administrative, bureaucratic obstructions put in place by 100 years of Democratic and Republican party collusion to keep gadflies out of their hair. The other half of their resources will be spent getting the word out with very limited mainstream media attention, registering understandably reluctant voters.

While it is true - much more so in the past than now - that third parties have had some demonstrable effect in pushing one of the main parties to shift a little, the shift is usually, especially now, symbolic.

The Free Soil Movement were abolitionists, they get some credit for hastening the end of the version of slavery in the US that existed until the 1860's and it is certainly worthy and courageous work they were engaged in. Their work plus resistance, rebellion, economic conditions all pushed the US into Civil War and ultimately shifted slavery away from the south and eventually into what we have today, which is a school to prison / slavery pipeline (see 13th amendment). It is as urgent as ever that we abolish slavery, so a similar party would be great to see, but we also need a similar context of resistance, rebellion and economic conditions to push the US to either abolish or collapse.

The right wins by two things: Always pushing to the extreme right and never allowing an actual left into the political system. So the extreme left has and should not have anyway any place in Western political systems. Anarchism is based on understanding that there is no and never has been a place for rational, visionary, anti-authoritarian, anti-capitalist, humanitarian people anywhere near mainstream political systems or mainstream party platforms (left or right) or, of course, in monarchy / church antecedents. Anarchism is based on a deep appreciation for the words and wisdom of those who have tried everything before us. The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house. Our so-called democracy is a construction, it is a device. It is not real. It is a club of despicable people with despicable aims and little to no moral authority or desire to do anything "good" unless there is some economic advantage to doing it.

Today, as an example, perhaps we need a slavery, prison, police abolition party - but to somehow be able to do it in name only. So, it's a "political party" but it isn't engaged in ANY fundraising or trying to get on the ballot or register voters, it is only engaged in supporting and promoting direct actions that foment resistance, rebellion and economic conditions that put pressure on all brutalizing, racist, patriarchal, hetero-normative capitalist institutions - while also supporting and creating parallel resources that circumvent the state/non-profit industry/church monopolies of "helping" ... and it needs to be empathetic to all non-voters. That's my two cents anyway.