This article contains lists of official and potential third party and independent candidates associated with the

1996 United States presidential election The 1996 United States presidential election was the 53rd quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 5, 1996. Incumbent Democratic President Bill Clinton defeated former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, the Republican nominee ...

. " Third party" is a term commonly used in the United States in reference to political parties other than the two

major parties A major party is a political party that holds substantial influence in a country's politics, standing in contrast to a minor party. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary: Major parties hold a significant percentage of the vote in electi ...

, the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

and the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

. An

independent candidate An independent or non-partisan politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent. Some politicians have political views th ...

is one who runs for office with no formal party affiliation. Parties with ballot access in states holding 270 or more electoral votes are listed first in this article because 270 electoral votes represent a majority of the 538 electoral votes in the Electoral College.

Ballot access to all 538 electoral votes

Reform Party nomination

Reform candidates *

Ross Perot Henry Ross Perot (; June 27, 1930 – July 9, 2019) was an American business magnate, billionaire, politician and philanthropist. He was the founder and chief executive officer of Electronic Data Systems and Perot Systems. He ran an inde ...

– party founder and businessman from Texas * Richard Lamm – former Governor of Colorado *

David L. Boren David Lyle Boren (born April 21, 1941) is a retired American lawyer and politician from the state of Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as 21st governor of Oklahoma from 1975 to 1979 and three terms in the United States Senat ...

– former

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

from and former Governor of

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

''(declined)'' *

Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. Lowell Palmer Weicker Jr. (; born May 16, 1931) is an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the 85th Governor of Connecticut. He unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for president in 1980. He was ...

– former

from and former Governor of Connecticut ''(declined)'' * Tim Penny – former Representative from Minnesota ''(declined)'' File:Ross Perot 7 Allan Warren.jpg, Party Founder

, from Texas File:Richard Lamm.jpg, Former Governor Richard Lamm of Colorado File:Senator David Boren.jpg, Former

David Boren from

''(declined)'' File:Lweicker.jpg, Former Governor Lowell Weicker of Connecticut ''(declined)'' File:Congressman Timothy Penny.jpg, Former Representative Tim Penny from Minnesota
''(declined)'' The United States Reform Party had great difficulty in finding a candidate willing to run in the general election. Lowell Weicker, Tim Penny, David Boren and Richard Lamm were among those who toyed with the notion of seeking its presidential nomination, though all but Lamm decided against it; Lamm had himself come close to withdrawing his name from consideration. Ultimately, the Reform Party nominated its founder

of Texas in its first election as an official political party. Although Perot easily won the nomination, his victory at the party's national convention led to a schism as supporters of Lamm accused him of rigging the vote to prevent them from casting their ballots. This faction walked out of the national convention and eventually formed their own group, the

American Reform Party The Reform Party of the United States of America (RPUSA), generally known as the Reform Party USA or the Reform Party, is a centrist political party in the United States, founded in 1995 by Ross Perot. Perot believed Americans were disillusione ...

, and attempted to convince Lamm to run as an Independent in the general election; Lamm declined, pointing out a promise he made before running that he would respect the Party's final decision. Economist Pat Choate was nominated for Vice President.

Libertarian Party nomination

Libertarian candidates * Harry Browne – writer and investment analyst from Tennessee * Rick Tompkins – former candidate for senator from Arizona * Irwin Schiff – writer and prominent figure in the tax protester movement from Nevada * Douglas J. Ohmen – political activist from California * Jeffrey Diket – political activist from Louisiana File:HarryBrowneLPCon1998 (cropped2).jpg, Writer Harry Browne from Tennessee The Libertarian Party nominated free-market writer and investment analyst, Harry Browne of Tennessee, and selected Jo Jorgensen of South Carolina as his running-mate. Browne and Jorgensen drew 485,798 votes (0.51% of the popular vote).

Ballot access to less than 538, but more than 270 electoral votes

Natural Law Party nomination

Natural Law candidate: File:John S. Hagelin.jpg, Scientist and researcher John Hagelin from Iowa The

Natural Law Party The Natural Law Party (NLP) is a transnational party founded in 1992 on "the principles of Transcendental Meditation", the laws of nature, and their application to all levels of government. At its peak, it was active in up to 74 countries; it con ...

for a second time nominated scientist and researcher John Hagelin for president and Mike Tompkins for vice president. The party platform included preventive health care, sustainable agriculture and renewable energy technologies. During his campaigns, Hagelin favored abortion rights without public financing, campaign finance law reform, improved gun control, a flat tax, the eradication of PACs, a ban on soft money contributions, and school vouchers. Hagelin and Tompkins drew 113,671 votes (0.12% of the popular vote).

U.S. Taxpayers' Party nomination

U.S. Taxpayers' candidates * Howard Phillips, conservative political activist from Virginia *

Pat Buchanan Patrick Joseph Buchanan (; born November 2, 1938) is an American paleoconservative political commentator, columnist, politician, and broadcaster. Buchanan was an assistant and special consultant to U.S. Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, an ...

, conservative columnist from Virginia ''(declined)'' * Alan Keyes, Former Diplomat and political activist from Maryland ''(declined)'' * Bob Dornan, Congressman from California ''(declined)'' File:Pat Buchanan.jpg, conservative columnist

''(Declined)'' File:Alan Keyes.jpg, Former Diplomat Alan Keyes
''(Declined)'' File:RobertDornan.jpg, Representative Bob Dornan
''(Declined)'' File:Howard Phillips.jpg, conservative political activist Howard Phillips The

U.S. Taxpayers Party The Constitution Party, formerly the U.S. Taxpayers' Party until 1999, is a political party in the United States that promotes a religious conservative view of the principles and intents of the United States Constitution. The party plat ...

had run its first presidential ticket in 1992, it being head by Howard Phillips who had failed to find any prominent conservative willing to take the mantle. In 1996 the situation ultimately proved the same, though

for a time was widely speculated to be planning on bolting to the Taxpayers' Party should the expected Republican nominee, Senator

Bob Dole Robert Joseph Dole (July 22, 1923 – December 5, 2021) was an American politician and attorney who represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996. He was the Republican Leader of the Senate during the final 11 years of his te ...

, name a Pro-Choice running-mate. When

Jack Kemp Jack French Kemp (July 13, 1935 – May 2, 2009) was an American politician and a professional football player. A member of the Republican Party from New York, he served as Housing Secretary in the administration of President George H. W. Bu ...

, who is Pro-Life, was tapped for the position Buchanan agreed to endorse the Republican ticket. Again, Phillips found himself at a temporary post that was made permanent, with

Herbert Titus Herbert William "Herb" Titus (October 17, 1937 – June 20, 2021) was an American attorney, writer, and politician. He was a candidate for Vice President of the United States in the 1996 U.S. presidential election on the Constitution Party ...

being nominated for the Vice Presidency. Phillips and Titus drew 182,820 votes (0.19% of the popular vote).

Ballot access to fewer than 270, but more than 50 electoral votes

Green Party nomination

Green candidate: File:Naderspeak.JPG, Political Activist, Author, and Attorney Ralph Nader from Connecticut The Green Party of the United States – Ralph Nader of Connecticut was drafted as a candidate for President of the United States on the Green Party ticket. He was not formally nominated by the

Green Party USA The Greens/Green Party USA (G/GPUSA) was a political organization formed out of the Green Committees of Correspondence in 1991 and was recognized as a national political party by the FEC from 1991 to 2005. It was based in Chicago. '' Synthesis/ ...

, which was, at the time, the largest national Green group; instead he was nominated independently by various state Green parties (in some areas, he appeared on the ballot as an independent). Nader vowed to spend only $5,000 in his election campaign (to avoid having to file a financial statement with the FEC). Winona LaDuke, a Native American activist and economist from Wisconsin, was named as his running-mate. Nader and LaDuke drew 685,128 votes (0.71% of the popular vote).

Workers World Party nomination

Workers World candidate: *

Monica Moorehead Monica Gail Moorehead (born 1952) is an American retired teacher, writer, and political activist. She was the presidential nominee of the Workers World Party (WWP) in 1996, 2000, and 2016. Biography A political activist since high school, Mooreh ...

, school teacher and political activist The Workers World Party nominated

for president. Gloria La Riva, who had been on every ticket since 1984, was nominated for vice president. Moorehead and La Riva drew 29,083 votes (0.03% of the national popular vote).

Socialist Workers Party nomination

Socialist Workers Party candidate: * James Harris, political activist and revolutionary The Socialist Workers Party nominated James Harris for president. Laura Garza was nominated for vice president. Harris and Garza drew 8,476 votes (0.01% of the national popular vote).

Peace and Freedom Party nomination

The

Peace and Freedom Party The Peace and Freedom Party (PFP) is a left-wing political party with affiliates and former members in more than a dozen American states, including California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana and Utah, but none now have ballot status besides C ...

, largely based in California, nominated

Marsha Feinland Marsha Feinland was a third-party candidate (Peace and Freedom Party) for President of the United States in the 1996 U.S. presidential election. Her running mate was Kate McClatchy; they were only on the ballot in California and received 25,3 ...

for the Presidency, while nominating Kate McClatchy for the Vice Presidency. Feinland and McClatchy received 25,332 votes ''(0.03% of the National Vote)'' Ballot Access: California (54 Electoral)

Ballot access to fewer than 50 electoral votes

Socialist Equality Party nomination

The Socialist Equality Party nominated Jerry White for the Presidency and nominated

Fred Mazelis Fred Mazelis was a third-party candidate for Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of t ...

for the Vice Presidency. White and Mazelis received 2,438 votes. Ballot Access: Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey (43 Electoral)

Socialist Party USA nomination

The Socialist Party USA nominated

Mary Cal Hollis Mary Cal Hollis is an American activist. She was a third-party candidate for President of the United States in the 1996 U.S. presidential election, representing the Socialist Party USA (SPUSA) with running mate Eric Chester. Hollis and Chester al ...

of Colorado and

Eric Chester Eric Thomas Chester is an American author, socialist political activist, and former economics professor. Early life Born in New York City, he is the son of Harry (an economist on the research staff of the United Auto Workers) and Alice (a p ...

of Massachusetts. Hollis and Chester received 4,765 votes. Ballot Access: Arkansas, Colorado, Oregon, Vermont, Wisconsin (35 Electoral)
Write-In Access: Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Texas, Utah

Prohibition Party nomination

The

Prohibition Party The Prohibition Party (PRO) is a political party in the United States known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages and as an integral part of the temperance movement. It is the oldest existing third party ...

nominated

Earl Dodge Earl Farwell Dodge Jr. (December 24, 1932 – November 7, 2007) was an American politician who served as the Prohibition Party's chairman and presidential candidate from the 1984 to 2000 presidential elections and later ran with the nominatio ...

and

Rachel Bubar Kelly Rachel Bubar Kelly (November 22, 1922 — January 14, 2002) was the Prohibition Party candidate for United States Vice President in the 1996 presidential election as the running mate of Earl F. Dodge. Dodge had in the past been the running mate ...

. Dodge and Kelly received 1,298 votes. Ballot Access: Arkansas, Colorado, Tennessee, Utah (30 Electoral)
Write-In Access: Illinois, Massachusetts

Grassroots Party nomination

The Grassroots Party nominated Dennis Peron. Peron received 5,378 votes. Ballot Access: Minnesota, Vermont (13 Electoral)

American Party nomination

The American Party nominated Diane Beall Templin and Gary Van Horn. Templin and Van Horn received 1,847 votes. Ballot Access: Colorado, Utah (13 Electoral)

Independent Party of Utah nomination

The Independent Party of Utah nominated Alma Peter Crane and Connie Chandler. Crane and Chandler received 1,101 votes. Ballot Access: Utah (5 Electoral)

Independent candidates

Charles E. Collins

Charles E. Collins ran in the general election as an Independent after failing to attain the Republican or U.S. Taxpayers Party nominations for president. Rosemary Giumarra was his running mate. A group known as C.U.R.E. ''(Constitutionally Unified Republic for Everyone)'' also endorsed their candidacy. Collins and Giumarra received 8,941 votes ''(0.01% of the National Vote)'' Ballot Access: Arkansas, Colorado, Mississippi, Tennessee, Washington (36 Electoral)
Write-In Access: Arizona, California, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Utah

Steve Michael

Steve Michael ran as an Independent under the banner of the AIDS Cure Party, with Anne Northrup as his running mate. Michael and Northrup received 408 votes. Ballot Access: Tennessee (11 Electoral)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:United States third party and independent presidential candidates, 1996 1996 presidential candidates