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Third party is a term used in the United States for American
political parties A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
other than the two dominant parties, currently the Republican and Democratic Parties. Sometimes the phrase "minor party" is used instead of third party. Third parties are most often encountered when they nominate presidential candidates. No third-party candidate has won the presidency since the Republican Party became a major party in the mid-19th century. Since that time, only in five elections ( 1892,
1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ** German geophysicist Alfred ...
,
1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China hold ...
,
1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...
, and
1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * J ...
) has a third-party candidate carried any states, and only in one of them (1912) did that candidate come out in second place nationally or electorally.


Current U.S. third parties


Largest (voter registration over 100,000)

* Libertarian Party
libertarianism Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's en ...
, laissez-faire economics, pro-civil liberties,
anti-war An anti-war movement (also ''antiwar'') is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term anti-war can also refer to p ...
*
Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...
Green politics Green politics, or ecopolitics, is a political ideology that aims to foster an ecologically sustainable society often, but not always, rooted in environmentalism, nonviolence, social justice and grassroots democracy. Wall 2010. p. 12-13. It be ...
,
eco-socialism Eco-socialism (also known as green socialism or socialist ecology) is an ideology merging aspects of socialism with that of green politics, ecology and alter-globalization or anti-globalization. Eco-socialists generally believe that the expansi ...
,
anti-capitalism Anti-capitalism is a political ideology and movement encompassing a variety of attitudes and ideas that oppose capitalism. In this sense, anti-capitalists are those who wish to replace capitalism with another type of economic system, such as ...
,
progressivism Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, tech ...
, pro-civil liberties,
anti-war An anti-war movement (also ''antiwar'') is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term anti-war can also refer to p ...
* Constitution Party
Conservatism Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...
, paleoconservatism, Christian reconstructionism,
social conservatism Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institut ...


Smaller parties by ideology

This section includes only parties that have actually run candidates under their name in recent years.


Right-wing

''This section includes any party that advocates positions associated with American conservatism, including both Old Right and New Right ideologies.'' * Christian Liberty Party State-only parties *
American Independent Party The American Independent Party (AIP) is a far-right political party in the United States that was established in 1967. The AIP is best known for its nomination of former Democratic Governor George Wallace of Alabama, who carried five states in t ...
(California) *
Conservative Party of New York State The Conservative Party of New York State is an American political party founded in 1962 following conservative dissatisfaction with the Republican Party in New York. Running on the Conservative Party line, James L. Buckley won election to the U ...
* Constitution Party of Oregon


Centrist

''This section includes any party that is independent, populist, or any other that either rejects right-left politics or doesn't have a party platform.'' *
Alliance Party (United States) The Alliance Party is a centrist American political party formed in 2019. It is affiliated with the American Party of South Carolina, Independence Party of Minnesota, Independent Party of Connecticut, and Reform Party of Florida. In 2020, Indepe ...
*
American Solidarity Party The American Solidarity Party (ASP) is a Christian-democratic political party in the United States. It was founded in 2011 and officially incorporated in 2016. The party has a Solidarity National Committee (SNC) and has numerous active state ...
* Citizens Party * Forward Party *
Reform Party of the United States of America 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 disillusion ...
*
Serve America Movement The Serve America Movement (SAM) was a big tent political organization founded in 2017 by Morgan Stanley lawyer Eric Grossman. The party achieved its first state party in New York with ballot access, but as of November 4, 2021 it lost its ballot ...
* United States Pirate Party * Unity Party of America State-only parties * Moderate Party of Rhode Island *
Independent Party of Delaware The Independent Party of Delaware (IPoD) is a political party in the State of Delaware, United States. As of March 2021, it is the third largest political party in Delaware with 9,443 registered voters. The preamble outlines the party's goals: ...
* Independent Party of Oregon * Keystone Party of Pennsylvania *
United Utah Party The United Utah Party (UUP) is a Centrism, centrist political party in the United States. It was founded in 2017 and is active only in the state of Utah. The party identifies itself as politically moderate, and was created out of frustration wi ...


Left-wing

''This section includes any party that has a left-liberal, progressive, social democratic, democratic socialist, or Marxist platform.'' *
Communist Party USA The Communist Party USA, officially the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA), is a communist party in the United States which was established in 1919 after a split in the Socialist Party of America following the Russian Rev ...
* Freedom Socialist Party * Justice Party USA * People's Party *
Party for Socialism and Liberation The Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) is a communist party in the United States, established in 2004. Its members are active in a wide range of movements including the labor, anti-war, immigrants' rights, women's rights, and anti-police ...
*
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 ...
* Socialist Action * Socialist Equality Party * Socialist Alternative *
Socialist Party USA The Socialist Party USA, officially the Socialist Party of the United States of America,"The article of this organization shall be the Socialist Party of the United States of America, hereinafter called 'the Party'". Art. I of th"Constitution o ...
* Socialist Workers Party *
Working Class Party The Working Class Party (WCP) is a left-wing, political party, based in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The Working Class Party competed in the 2016 Michigan election, presenting three candidates. The party filed twelve candidates in the 2020 ...
*
Workers World Party The Workers World Party (WWP) is a revolutionary Marxist–Leninist communist party founded in 1959 by a group led by Sam Marcy of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP). Marcy and his followers split from the SWP in 1958 over a series of long-stan ...
* Working Families Party State-only parties * Charter Party (Cincinnati, Ohio only) *
Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party The Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party, known as the Liberty Union Party (LUP) until 2021, is a political party active in the U.S. state of Vermont. It is a self-proclaimed "non-violent socialist party". The LUP was founded in 1970 by former ...
(Vermont) * Green Party of Alaska *
Green Party of Rhode Island The Green Party of Rhode Island (GPRI) is one of the oldest active Green parties in the United States. The party was founded on March 6, 1992, at a meeting of 40 activists from Rhode Island. In November 1996, GPRI was one of 12 founding parties ...
* Labor Party (South Carolina) *
Liberal Party of New York The Liberal Party of New York is a political party in New York. Its platform supports a standard set of socially liberal policies, including abortion rights, increased spending on education, and universal health care. History The Liberal Part ...
*
Oregon Progressive Party The Oregon Progressive Party is a political party in the U.S. state of Oregon. Originally called the Oregon Peace Party, it was accepted as the sixth minor statewide political party in Oregon on August 22, 2008. This allowed the party to nomi ...
*
Progressive Dane Progressive Dane is an independent, progressive political party in Dane County, Wisconsin founded in the fall of 1992. Focusing exclusively on local elections, Progressive Dane endorses candidates and lobbies for issues decided on by its member ...
(Dane county, Wisconsin) *
United Independent Party The United Independent Party or UIP was a political party based in Massachusetts, United States. The chairman of the UIP was Evan Falchuk, a former health care executive who submitted enough signatures to be on the 2014 gubernatorial ballot. When ...
(Massachusetts) * Vermont Progressive Party *
Washington Progressive Party The Washington Progressive Party (WAPP) is a minor political party in Washington state affiliated with the National Progressive Party. The current chair of the party is Ashley Stallworth accompanied, by vice-chair Stephanie Browne. The party ad ...


Ethnic nationalism

''This section includes parties that primarily advocate for granting special privileges or consideration to members of a certain race, ethnic group, religion etc.'' * American Freedom Party * Black Riders Liberation Party * National Socialist Movement * New Afrikan Black Panther Party Also included in this category are various parties found in and confined to
Indian reservation An Indian reservation is an area of land held and governed by a federally recognized Native American tribal nation whose government is accountable to the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs and not to the state government in which it ...
s, almost all of which are solely devoted to the furthering of the tribes to which the reservations were assigned. An example of a particularly powerful tribal nationalist party is the Seneca Party that operates on the Seneca Nation of New York's reservations.Herbeck, Dan (November 15, 2011)
Resentments abound in Seneca power struggle
''The Buffalo News''. Retrieved November 16, 2011.


Secessionist parties

''This section includes parties that primarily advocate for Independence from the United States. (Specific party platforms may range from left wing to right wing).'' * Alaskan Independence Party * Aloha ʻĀina Party (Hawaii) * California National Party


Single-issue/protest-oriented

''This section includes parties that primarily advocate single-issue politics (though they may have a more detailed platform) or may seek to attract
protest votes A protest vote (also called a blank, null, spoiled, or "none of the above" vote) is a vote cast in an election to demonstrate dissatisfaction with the choice of candidates or the current political system. Protest voting takes a variety of forms a ...
rather than to mount serious political campaigns or advocacy.'' * Grassroots—Legalize Cannabis Party * Legal Marijuana Now Party *
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 ...
*
United States Marijuana Party The United States Marijuana Party (officially the U.S. Marijuana Party) is a cannabis political party in the United States founded in 2002 by Loretta Nall specifically to end the war on drugs and to legalize cannabis. Their policies also inclu ...
State-only parties *
Approval Voting Party The Approval Voting Party (AVP) is a single-issue politics, single-issue American political party dedicated to implementing approval voting in the United States. In 2019, the party became recognized as a minor party in Colorado. History The ...
(Colorado) *
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 co ...
(Michigan) *
New York State Right to Life Party The New York State Right to Life Party was a minor anti-abortion American political party that was active only in the state of New York and was founded to oppose the legalization of abortion in New York State in 1970. History In 1970 the Right t ...
*
Rent Is Too Damn High Party The Rent Is Too Damn High Party (Rent Is 2 Damn High Party) is a single issue political party, primarily active in the state of New York, that has nominated candidates for mayor of New York City in 2005 and 2009, and for governor and senator in ...
(New York)


Notable elections

A number of third party, independent, and write-in candidates have performed well in many U.S. elections. Greens, Libertarians, and others have elected state legislators and local officials. The Socialist Party elected hundreds of local officials in 169 cities in 33 states by 1912, including
Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...
, Wisconsin;
New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...
;
Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Reddin'') is a city in and the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city had a population of 95,112 as of the 2020 census and is the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania after Philade ...
; and
Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Yo ...
. There have been 20th century governors elected as independents, and from such parties as Progressive, Reform, Farmer-Labor, Populist, and Prohibition. There were others in the 19th century. However, the United States has had a
two-party system A two-party system is a political party system in which two major political parties consistently dominate the political landscape. At any point in time, one of the two parties typically holds a majority in the legislature and is usually refe ...
for over a century. The winner take all system for
presidential elections A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...
and the single-seat
plurality voting Plurality voting refers to electoral systems in which a candidate, or candidates, who poll more than any other counterpart (that is, receive a plurality), are elected. In systems based on single-member districts, it elects just one member per ...
system for Congressional elections have over time created the two-party system (see Duverger's law). Third-party candidates sometimes win elections. For example, such a candidate has won a U.S. Senate election twice (0.6%) since 1990. Sometimes a national officeholder not affiliated with and endorsed by one of the two major parties is elected. Previously, Senator
Lisa Murkowski Lisa Ann Murkowski ( ; born May 22, 1957) is an American attorney and politician serving as the senior United States senator for Alaska, having held that seat since 2002. Murkowski is the second-most senior Republican woman in the Senate, after S ...
won re-election in 2010 as a
write-in candidate A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...
and not as the Republican nominee, and Senator
Joe Lieberman Joseph Isadore Lieberman (; born February 24, 1942) is an American politician, lobbyist, and attorney who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1989 to 2013. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was its nominee for ...
ran and won as a third-party candidate in 2006 after leaving the Democratic Party. Currently, there are only two U.S. Senators,
Angus King Angus Stanley King Jr. (born March 31, 1944) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Maine since 2013. A political independent since 1993, he previously served as the 72nd governor of Maine from 19 ...
and
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 20 ...
, who are neither Democratic nor Republican, while former Representative
Justin Amash Justin Amash ( ; born April 18, 1980) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2021. Originally a Republican, Amash joined the Libertarian Party in April 2020, becoming the party's first (an ...
has joined the Libertarian Party as of April 28, 2020. Although third- party candidates rarely actually win elections, they can have an effect on them. If they do well, then they are often accused of having a
spoiler effect Vote splitting is an electoral effect in which the distribution of votes among multiple similar candidates reduces the chance of winning for any of the similar candidates, and increases the chance of winning for a dissimilar candidate. Vote spl ...
. Sometimes, they have won votes in the electoral college, as in the 1832 Presidential election. They can draw attention to issues that may be ignored by the majority parties. If such an issue finds acceptance with the voters, one or more of the major parties may adopt the issue into its own
party platform A political party platform (US English), party program, or party manifesto (preferential term in British & often Commonwealth English) is a formal set of principle goals which are supported by a political party or individual candidate, in order ...
. Also, a third party may be used by the voter to cast a protest vote as a form of
referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a Representative democr ...
on an important issue. Third parties may also help
voter turnout In political science, voter turnout is the participation rate (often defined as those who cast a ballot) of a given election. This can be the percentage of registered voters, eligible voters, or all voting-age people. According to Stanford Univ ...
by bringing more people to the polls. Third-party candidates at the top of the ticket can help to draw attention to other party candidates down the ballot, helping them to win local or state office. In 2004, the U.S. electorate consisted of an estimated 43% registered Democrats and 33% registered Republicans, with independents and those belonging to other parties constituting 25%. The only three U.S. Presidents without a major party affiliation were
George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
,
John Tyler John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States, serving from 1841 to 1845, after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president in 1841. He was elected vice president on the 1840 Whig tick ...
, and
Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a De ...
, and only Washington served his entire tenure as an independent. Neither of the other two were ever elected president in their own right, both being vice presidents who ascended to office upon the death of the president, and both became independents because they were unpopular with their parties. John Tyler was elected on the Whig ticket in 1840 with
William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...
, but was expelled by his own party. Johnson was the running mate for
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...
, who was reelected on the National Union ticket in 1864; it was a temporary name for the Republican Party.
Bill Walker Bill Walker may refer to: Australian rules football * Bill A. Walker (1886–1934), Australian rules footballer for Essendon * Bill Walker (Australian footballer, born 1883) (1883–1971), Australian rules footballer for Fitzroy * Bill J. V. Wal ...
of
Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U ...
was, from 2014 to 2018, the only independent governor in the United States. He was also the first independent governor since Alaska became a state (although not the first third-party governor). In 1998, wrestler
Jesse Ventura Jesse Ventura (born James George Janos; July 15, 1951) is an American politician, actor, and retired professional wrestler. After achieving fame in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), he served as the 38th governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2 ...
was elected governor of Minnesota on the Reform Party ticket. As of 2021, the only independent U.S. senators are
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 20 ...
of Vermont and
Angus King Angus Stanley King Jr. (born March 31, 1944) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Maine since 2013. A political independent since 1993, he previously served as the 72nd governor of Maine from 19 ...
of Maine; both senators caucus with the Democratic Party. No current members of the House of Representatives is a member of a third party. Former representative
Justin Amash Justin Amash ( ; born April 18, 1980) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2021. Originally a Republican, Amash joined the Libertarian Party in April 2020, becoming the party's first (an ...
of Michigan, originally elected as a Republican, joined the Libertarian Party in April 2020 after having left the Republican Party in July 2019, and is the most recent member of a third party in the House. He did not seek re-election in 2020.


Barriers to third party success


Winner-take-all vs. proportional representation

In winner-take-all (or plurality-take-all), the candidate with the largest number of votes wins, even if the margin of victory is extremely narrow or the proportion of votes received is not a majority. Unlike in
proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
, runners-up do not gain representation in a first-past-the-post system. In the United States, systems of proportional representation are uncommon, especially above the local level and are entirely absent at the national level (even though states like Maine have introduced systems like ranked choice voting, which ensures that the voice of third party voters is heard in case none of the candidates receives a majority of preferences). In Presidential elections, the majority requirement of the Electoral College, and the Constitutional provision for the House of Representatives to decide the election if no candidate receives a majority, serves as a further disincentive to third party candidacies. In the United States, if an interest group is at odds with its traditional party, it has the option of running sympathetic candidates in
primaries Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the c ...
. Candidates failing in the primary may form or join a third party. Because of the difficulties third parties face in gaining any representation, third parties tend to exist to promote a specific issue or personality. Often, the intent is to force national public attention on such an issue. Then, one or both of the major parties may rise to commit for or against the matter at hand, or at least weigh in.
H. 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 indepe ...
eventually founded a third party, the Reform Party, to support his
1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...
campaign. In
1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ** German geophysicist Alfred ...
,
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
made a spirited run for the presidency on the Progressive Party ticket, but he never made any efforts to help Progressive congressional candidates in 1914, and in the 1916 election, he supported the Republicans.


Ballot access laws

Nationally,
ballot access Elections in the United States refers to the rules and procedures regulating the conditions under which a candidate, political party, or ballot measure is entitled to appear on voters' ballots. As the nation's election process is decentralized b ...
laws are the major challenge to third party candidacies. While the Democratic and Republican parties usually easily obtain ballot access in all fifty states in every election, third parties often fail to meet criteria for ballot access, such as registration fees. Or, in many states, they do not meet petition requirements in which a certain number of voters must sign a petition for a third party or independent candidate to gain ballot access. In recent presidential elections, Ross Perot appeared on all 50 state ballots as an independent in 1992 United States presidential election, 1992 and the candidate of the Reform Party in 1996. (Perot, a billionaire, was able to provide significant funds for his campaigns.) Patrick Buchanan appeared on all 50 state ballots in the 2000 election, largely on the basis of Perot's performance as the Reform Party's candidate four years prior. The Libertarian Party has appeared on the ballot in at least 46 states in every election since 1980 United States presidential election, 1980, except for 1984 United States presidential election, 1984 when David Bergland gained access in only 36 states. In 1980, 1992, 1996, 2016, and 2020 the party made the ballot in all 50 states and D.C. The Green Party (United States), Green Party gained access to 44 state ballots in 2000 but only 27 in 2004. The Constitution Party appeared on 42 state ballots in 2004. Ralph Nader, running as an independent in 2004, appeared on 34 state ballots. In 2008 United States presidential election, 2008, Nader appeared on 45 state ballots and the D.C. ballot. For more information see
ballot access Elections in the United States refers to the rules and procedures regulating the conditions under which a candidate, political party, or ballot measure is entitled to appear on voters' ballots. As the nation's election process is decentralized b ...
laws.


Debate rules

United States presidential election debates, Presidential debates between the nominees of the two major parties first occurred in 1960 United States presidential election, 1960, then after three cycles without debates, took place again in 1976 United States presidential election, 1976 and have happened in every election since. Third party or independent candidates have been included in these debates in only two cycles. Ronald Reagan and John B. Anderson, John Anderson debated in 1980, but incumbent President Carter refused to appear with Anderson, and Anderson was excluded from the subsequent debate between Reagan and Carter. Debates in other state and federal elections often exclude independent and third-party candidates, and the Supreme Court has upheld such tactics in several cases. The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) is a private company. Independent Ross Perot was included in all three of the debates with Republican George H. W. Bush and Democrat Bill Clinton in 1992, largely at the behest of the Bush campaign. His participation helped Perot climb from 7% before the debates to 19% on Election Day. Perot was excluded from the 1996 debates despite his strong showing four years prior. In 2000 United States presidential election, 2000, revised debate access rules made it even harder for third-party candidates to gain access by stipulating that, besides being on enough state ballots to win an Electoral College majority, debate participants must clear 15% in pre-debate opinion polls. This rule remained in place for 2004 United States presidential election, 2004, when as many as 62 million people watched the debates, and has continued being in effect as of 2008. The 15% criterion, had it been in place, would have prevented Anderson and Perot from participating in the debates they appeared in.


Major party marginalization

A third-party candidate will sometimes strike a chord with a section of voters in a particular election, bringing an issue to national prominence and amount a significant proportion of the popular vote. Major parties often respond to this by adopting this issue in a subsequent election. After
1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * J ...
, under President Nixon the Republican Party adopted a "Southern Strategy" to win the support of conservative Democrats opposed to the Civil Rights Movement and resulting legislation and to combat third parties with southern agendas. This can be seen as a response to the popularity of segregationist candidate George Wallace who gained 13.5% of the popular vote in the 1968 election for the American Independent Party. In
1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...
, both the Democrats and the Republicans agreed to deficit reduction on the back of Ross Perot's popularity in the 1992 United States presidential election, 1992 election. This severely undermined Perot's campaign in the 1996 election.


See also

*Equal-time rule *Third-party and independent members of the United States House of Representatives *United States Electoral College *Independent politician *Political party *Political parties in the United States *Proportional representation *Third party (politics) *Suffrage


References


Further reading


Surveys

* Epstein, David A. (2012). ''Left, Right, Out: The History of Third Parties in America''. Arts and Letters Imperium Publications. * Gillespie, J. David. ''Challengers to Duopoly: Why Third Parties Matter in American Two-Party Politics'' (University of South Carolina Press, 2012) * Green, Donald J. ''Third-Party Matters: Politics, Presidents, and Third Parties in American History'' (Praeger, 2010) * Herrnson, Paul S. and John C. Green, eds. ''Multiparty Politics in America'' (Rowman & Littlefield, 1997) * Hesseltine, William B. ''Third-Party Movements in the United States'' (1962), Brief survey * Hicks, John D. "The Third Party Tradition in American Politics." ''Mississippi Valley Historical Review'' 20 (1933): 3–28
in JSTOR
* Kruschke, Earl R. ''Encyclopedia of Third Parties in the United States'' (ABC-CLIO, 1991) * Ness, Immanuel and James Ciment, eds. ''Encyclopedia of Third Parties in America'' (4 vol. 2006) * Richardson, Darcy G. ''Others: Third Party Politics from the Nation's Founding to the Rise and Fall of the Greenback-Labor Party''. Vol. 1. iUniverse, 2004. * Rosenstone, Steven J., Roy L. Behr, and Edward H. Lazarus. ''Third Parties in America: Citizen Response to Major Party Failure'' (2nd ed. Princeton University Press, 1996) * Schlesinger, Arthur Meier, Jr. ed. ''History of U.S. Political Parties'' (1973) multivolume compilation includes essays by experts on the more important third parties, plus some primary sources * Sifry, Micah L. ''Spoiling for a Fight: Third Party Politics in America'' (Routledge, 2002)


Scholarly studies

* Abramson Paul R., John H. Aldrich, Phil Paolino, and David W. Rohde. "Third-Party and Independent Candidates in American Politics: Wallace, Anderson, and Perot." ''Political Science Quarterly'' 110 (1995): 349–67 * Argersinger, Peter H. ''The Limits of Agrarian Radicalism: Western Populism and American Politics'' (University Press of Kansas, 1995) * Berg, John C. "Beyond a Third Party: The Other Minor Parties in the 1996 Elections," in ''The State of the Parties: The Changing Role of Contemporary American Parties'' ed by Daniel M. Shea and John C. Green (3rd ed. Rowman & Littlefield, 1998), pp. 212–28 * Berg, John C. "Spoiler or Builder? The Effect of Ralph Nader's 2000 Campaign on the U.S. Greens." in ''The State of the Parties: The Changing Role of Contemporary American Parties'', (4th ed. 2003) edited by John C. Green and Rick Farmer, pp. 323–36. * Brooks, Corey M. ''Liberty Power: Antislavery Third Parties and the Transformation of American Politics'' (University of Chicago Press, 2016). 302 pp. * Burden, Barry C. "Ralph Nader's Campaign Strategy in the 2000 U.S. Presidential Election." ''American Politics Research'' 33 (2005): 672–99. * Diana Carlin, Carlin, Diana B., and Mitchell S. McKinney, eds. ''The 1992 Presidential Debates in Focus'' (1994), includes Ross Parot * Chace, James. ''1912: Wilson, Roosevelt, Taft and Debs – The Election that Changed the Country'' (2009) * Darsey, James. "The Legend of Eugene Debs: Prophetic Ethos as Radical Argument." ''Quarterly Journal of Speech'' 74 (1988): 434–52. * Gould, Lewis L. ''Four Hats in the Ring: The 1912 Election and the Birth of Modern American Politics'' (2008) * Hazlett, Joseph. ''The Libertarian Party and Other Minor Political Parties in the United States'' (McFarland & Company, 1992) * Hogan, J. Michael. "Wallace and the Wallacites: A Reexamination." ''Southern Speech Communication Journal'' 50 (1984): 24–48. On George Wallace in 1968 * Jelen, Ted G. ed. '' Ross for Boss: The Perot Phenomenon and Beyond'' (State University of New York Press, 2001) * Koch, Jeffrey. "The Perot Candidacy and Attitudes Toward Government and Politics." ''Political Research Quarterly'' 51 (1998): 141–53. * Koch, Jeffrey. "Political Cynicism and Third Party Support in American Presidential Elections," ''American Politics Research'' 31 (2003): 48–65. * Lee, Michael J. "The Populist Chameleon: The People's Party, Huey Long, George Wallace, and the Populist Argumentative Frame." ''Quarterly Journal of Speech'' (2006): 355–78. * Mowry, George E. ''Theodore Roosevelt and the Progressive Movement'' (1946), on 1912 * Rapoport, Ronald B., and Walter J. Stone. ''Three's a Crowd: The Dynamic of Third Parties, Ross Perot, and Republican Resurgence'' (University of Michigan Press, 2005) * Richardson, Darcy G. ''Others: Third Parties During the Populist Period'' (2007) 506 pp * Richardson, Darcy G. ''A Toast to Glory: The Prohibition Party Flirts With Greatness '' 59 pp * Rohler, Lloyd. "Conservative Appeals to the People: George Wallace's Populist Rhetoric." ''Southern Communication Journal'' 64 (1999): 316–22. * Rohler, Lloyd. ''George Wallace: Conservative Populist'' (Praeger, 2004) * Rosenfeld, Lawrence W. "George Wallace Plays Rosemary's Baby." ''Quarterly Journal of Speech'' 55 (1969): 36–44. * Ross, Jack. ''The Socialist Party of America: A Complete History'' (2015) 824 pp * Shepard, Ryan Michael. "Deeds done in different words: a genre-based approach to third party presidential campaign discourse." (PhD Dissertation, University of Kansas 2011
online
*Tamas, Bernard. 2018. ''The Demise and Rebirth of American Third Parties: Poised for Political Revival?'' Routledge.


External links



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