List of third party and independent performances in United States elections


In the United States it is rare for third party and independent candidates, other than those of the six parties which have succeeded as major parties, to take large shares of the vote in elections.
In the 45 presidential elections since 1788, third party or independent candidates have won at least 5.0% of the vote or garnered electoral votes 12 times ; this does not count George Washington, who was elected as an independent in 1788–1789 and 1792, but who largely supported Federalist policies and was supported by Federalists. Occasionally, a third party becomes one of the two major parties through a presidential election : such an election is called a realigning election, as it causes a realignment in the party system; according to scholars, there have been six party systems so far.
Only once has one of the two major parties finished third in a presidential election, when not the result of a realignment: in 1912, the Progressive Party, with former president Theodore Roosevelt as their presidential candidate obtained 88 electoral votes and surpassed the Republicans. In fact, Roosevelt ran one of the most successful third-party candidacies in history but was defeated by the Democrat and the Progressive party quickly disappeared while the Republicans re-gained their major party status. The last third party candidate to win one or more states was George Wallace of the American Independent Party in 1968, while the most recent third party candidate to win more than 5.0% of the vote was Ross Perot, who ran as an independent and as the standard-bearer of the Reform Party in 1992 and 1996, respectively.
In the 302 gubernatorial elections since 1990, third party or independent candidates have won at least 5.0% of the vote 49 times, while six candidates have won election. The most recent third party or independent governor to win was Alaska's Bill Walker, a Republican turned independent, in 2014.
In the 383 Senate elections since 1990, third party or independent candidates have won at least 5.0% of the vote 35 times ; two of those candidates have won, both in 2012. In 9 of the 35 races, one or the other of the major parties failed to nominate any candidate, allowing third-party candidates to perform better than usual.

Statistics

Note: Prior to the passage of the 17th Amendment in 1913, most states did not hold direct elections to the Senate.

Presidential elections

Gubernatorial elections

Senate elections

Listed below are Senate elections since 1905 in which a third party or independent candidate won or were reasonably close to receiving 5.0% of the vote. Winners are shown in bold.
YearStatePartyNominee# Votes% VotesPlaceNotes
1905Oregon SocialistJ. D. Stevens12,4852nd
1905Oregon ProhibitionHiram Gould8,2243rd
1906OregonSocialistA. G. Simola5,6083rd
1910NevadaSocialistJud Harris1,9593rd
1912Arizona – Class ISocialistE. Johnson1,2343rd
1912Arizona – Class IIISocialistE. B. Simonton1,2213rd
1912ColoradoProgressiveFrank D. Catlin58,6493rd
1912KansasSocialistAllan W. Ricker25,6103rd
1912MontanaProgressiveJoseph M. Dixon22,1612nd
1912Nevada SocialistG. A. Steele2,7403rd
1912Nevada ProgressiveSardis Summerfield1,4284th
1912OklahomaSocialistJohn G. Wills40,8603rd
1912OregonIndependentJonathan Bourne Jr.25,9293rd
1912OregonSocialistBenjamin Franklin Ramp11,0934th
1912OregonProgressiveA. E. Clark11,0835th
1912OregonProhibitionB. Lee Paget6,8486th
1914ArizonaProhibitionEugene W. Chafin7,2933rd
1914ArizonaSocialistBert Davis3,5824th
1914ArizonaProgressiveJ. Bernard Nelson2,6085th
1914CaliforniaProgressiveFrancis J. Heney255,2322nd
1914CaliforniaSocialistErnest Untermann3,5824th
1914ColoradoProgressiveBenjamin Griffith27,0723rd
1914ColoradoSocialistJ. C. Griffiths13,9434th
1914IdahoProgressivePaul Clagstone10,3213rd
1914IdahoSocialistCalistus W. Cooper7,8884th
1914IllinoisProgressiveRaymond Robins203,0273rd
1914IndianaProgressiveAlbert J. Beveridge108,5813rd
1914IowaIndependentThomas W. Lawson24,4903rd
1914KansasProgressiveVictor Murdock116,7553rd
1914NevadaSocialistAshley Grant Miller5,4513rd
1914North DakotaSocialistW. H. Brown6,2313rd
1914OhioProgressiveArthur Lovett Garford67,5093rd
1914OhioSocialistE. K. Hitchens52,8034th
1914OklahomaSocialistPatrick S. Nagle52,2593rd
1914OregonProgressiveWilliam Hanley26,2203rd
1914PennsylvaniaProgressiveGifford Pinchot269,2652nd
1914WashingtonProgressiveOle Hanson83,2823rd
1914WashingtonSocialistAdam H. Barth30,2344th
1916ArizonaSocialistW. S. Bradford2,8273rd
1916CaliforniaSocialistWalter Thomas Mills49,3413rd
1916MinnesotaProhibitionWillis Greenleaf Calderwood78,4253rd
1916MontanaSocialistHenry La Beau9,2923rd
1916NevadaSocialistAshley Grant Miller9,5073rd
1916North DakotaSocialistE. R. Fry8,4723rd
1916TexasSocialistF. A. Hickey18,6163rd
1916WashingtonSocialistBruce Rogers21,7093rd
1916WisconsinSocialistRichard Elsner28,9083rd
1918MassachusettsIndependentThomas W. Lawson21,9853rd
1918MinnesotaNationalistWillis Greenleaf Calderwood137,3342nd
1918MississippiSocialistSummer W. Rose1,5693rd
1918MontanaNationalistJeannette Rankin26,0133rd
1918Nevada IndependentAnne Henrietta Martin4,6033rd
1918Oregon SocialistMartha Bean19,0142nd
1918South DakotaIndependentOrville V. Rafferty5,5603rd
1920CaliforniaProhibitionJames S. Edwards57,7683rd
1920GeorgiaIndependentHarry S. Edwards6,7002nd
1920MarylandIndependentGeorge D. Iverson Jr.21,3453rd
1920NevadaIndependentAnne Henrietta Martin4,9813rd
1920New YorkSocialistJacob Panken208,1553rd
1920New YorkProhibitionElla A. Boole159,6234th
1920PennsylvaniaProhibitionLeah C. Marion132,6103rd
1920South DakotaNonpartisan LeagueTom Ayres44,3092nd
1920South DakotaIndependentRichard Olsen Richards10,0324th
1920WashingtonFarmer–LaborC. L. France99,3092nd
1920WisconsinProgressive RepublicanJames Thompson235,0292nd
1920WisconsinSocialistFrank J. Weber66,1724th
1922CaliforniaIndependentH. Clay Needham70,7483rd
1922CaliforniaSocialistUpton Sinclair56,9824th
1922FloridaIndependent RepublicanW. C. Lawson6,0742nd
1922MinnesotaFarmer–LaborHenrik Shipstead325,372Elected
1922Pennsylvania ProhibitionRachel C. Robinson60,3902nd
1922Pennsylvania SocialistWilliam J. Van Essen55,7033rd
1922PennsylvaniaProgressiveWilliam J. Burke127,1803rd
1922NebraskaIndependentJames L. Beebe19,0763rd
1922WashingtonFarmer–LaborJames A. Duncan35,3263rd
1923Minnesota Farmer–LaborMagnus Johnson290,165Elected
1924ColoradoFarmer–LaborMorton Alexander16,0393rd
1924Colorado Farmer–LaborCharles T. Phelps17,5423rd
1924MinnesotaFarmer–LaborMagnus Johnson380,6462nd
1924OregonProgressiveF. E. Coulter20,3793rd
1924South DakotaFarmer–LaborTom Ayres23,9623rd
1924South DakotaIndependentGeorge W. Egan14,3904th
1926IdahoProgressiveH. F. Samuels37,0472nd
1926IllinoisIndependent RepublicanHugh S. Magill156,2453rd
1926New YorkIndependent RepublicanFranklin W. Cristman231,9063rd
1926North Dakota Nonpartisan LeagueGerald Nye79,709Re-elected
1926North Dakota Independent RepublicanC. P. Stone19,5863rd
1926North DakotaIndependent RepublicanNorris H. Nelson18,9512nd
1926North DakotaIndependent RepublicanC. P. Stone9,7384th
1926OregonIndependentRobert N. Stanfield50,2463rd
1926South DakotaFarmer–LaborHoward Platt12,7973rd
1926WisconsinIndependent Progressive RepublicanCharles D. Rosa111,1222nd
1926WisconsinSocialistLeo Krzycki31,3174th
1928CaliforniaProhibitionCharles Hiram Randall92,1063rd
1928MinnesotaFarmer–LaborHenrik Shipstead665,169Re-Elected
1928WisconsinIndependent RepublicanWilliam H. Markham81,3022nd
1930AlabamaIndependentJames Thomas Heflin100,9522nd
1930MinnesotaFarmer–LaborErnest Lundeen178,6713rd
1930OregonIndependentLlewellyn A. Banks17,4883rd
1930VirginiaIndependentJ. Cloyd Byars26,0912nd
1930VirginiaSocialistJoe C. Morgan7,9443rd

YearStatePartyNominee# Votes% VotesPlaceNotes
1964VirginiaIndependentJames W. Respess95,5263rd
1966MississippiIndependentClifton R. Whitley30,5023rd
1966Virginia IndependentJohn W. Carter57,6923rd
1966VirginiaIndependentF. Lee Hawthorne58,2513rd
1968AlabamaNational DemocraticRobert Schwenn72,6993rd
1968AlaskaDemocratic Ernest Gruening14,1183rd
1968MarylandAmerican IndependentGeorge P. Mahoney148,4673rd
1968New YorkConservativeJames L. Buckley1,139,4023rd
1970ConnecticutIndependentThomas J. Dodd266,4973rd
1970MississippiIndependentWilliam R. Thompson37,5932nd
1970New YorkConservativeJames L. Buckley2,288,190Elected
1970VirginiaIndependentHarry F. Byrd Jr.506,237Re-Elected
1972LouisianaIndependentJohn McKeithen250,1612nd
1974FloridaAmerican IndependentJohn Grady282,6593rd
1974HawaiiPeople'sJames D. Kimmel42,7672nd
1974New YorkConservativeBarbara A. Keating822,5843rd
1974UtahAmericanBruce Bangerter24,9663rd
1976MinnesotaAmerican IndependentPaul Helm125,6123rd
1976VirginiaIndependentHarry F. Byrd Jr.890,778Re-Elected
1978AlabamaProhibitionJerome B. Couch34,9512nd
1978ArkansasIndependentJohn J. Black37,4883rd
1978MaineIndependentHayes E. Gahagan27,8243rd
1978MississippiIndependentCharles Evers133,6463rd
1980New YorkLiberalJacob K. Javits664,54443rd
1982WashingtonIndependentKing Lysen72,2973rd
1984TennesseeIndependentEd McAteer87,2343rd

Senate elections (By Legislature)

Prior to the passage of the 17th Amendment, most states did not hold direct elections to the Senate, with Senators instead being elected by the state legislatures. The results listed below are cases in which a third party candidate won or was reasonably close to receiving 5.0% of the legislative vote. Winners are shown in bold.
YearStatePartyNominee# Votes% VotesPlaceNotes
1829New York Anti-MasonicAmbrose Spencer223rd
1830PennsylvaniaAnti-MasonicHarmar Denny104th
1831New YorkAnti-MasonicSamuel Works322nd
1831Pennsylvania – Class I Anti-MasonicRichard Rush303rd
1832PennsylvaniaAnti-MasonicWilliam Clark282nd
1833New York Anti-MasonicJohn C. Spencer112nd
1834Pennsylvania – Class III Anti-MasonicAmos Ellmaker312nd
1845New York – Class I Native AmericanJonathan Thompson173rd
1845New York – Class III Native AmericanHarmon B. Cropsey173rd
1845New YorkNative AmericanRobert Taylor153rd
1849New YorkFree SoilJohn Adams Dix212nd
1849PennsylvaniaFree SoilThaddeus Stevens73rd
1851MassachusettsFree SoilCharles Sumner?Elected
1855Massachusetts AmericanHenry Wilson255Elected
1855Massachusetts AmericanNahum F. Bryant852nd
1857New YorkAmericanJoel T. Headley153rd
1879PennsylvaniaGreenback PartyDaniel Agnew163rd
1894NebraskaIndependentW. A. Jones182nd
1898NebraskaPeople'sWilliam V. Allen582nd
1901NebraskaPeople'sWilliam V. Allen582nd

House elections

Mayoral elections

State legislature elections