PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania — A couple of weeks ago, a repairman named James came to my home to run a gauge on my stove to check if it was emitting carbon dioxide, as feared by the gas range company. After polite conversation, the repairman and I started to discuss politics, as one does when you are a reporter curious about how a varied swath of the population feels about politics, and James, who was born in Connellsville and lives in Jeannette, said he was unhappy with both front-runners, former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.

He said he would “maybe” reluctantly vote for Trump if the election were between the two men and then asked why voters have to settle for either: “Why can’t a third-party candidate ever get off the ground?”