List of third-party and independent performances in United States elections

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

This article contains statistics on third-party and independent performances in US elections and a list of pages containing lists of those elections.

Lists of third-party and independent, performances in United States elections

Notable performances

Presidential elections

The following are third party and independent candidates who received more than 10% of the total popular vote.

Year Party Nominee Running-Mate # Votes % Votes % Votes
On Ballot
Electoral Votes Place Notes
1912 Progressive Theodore Roosevelt Hiram Johnson 4,120,609
27.39 / 100
27.86 / 100
88 / 531
2nd
1856 American Millard Fillmore Andrew J. Donelson 872,703
21.54 / 100
21.54 / 100
8 / 296
3rd
1992 Independent Ross Perot James Stockdale 19,743,821
18.91 / 100
18.91 / 100
0 / 538
1860 Lecompton Democratic John C. Breckinridge Joseph Lane 851,844
18.20 / 100
22.04 / 100
72 / 303
2nd
1924 Progressive Robert M. La Follette Burton K. Wheeler 4,833,821
16.62 / 100
16.69 / 100
13 / 531
3rd
1968 American Independent George Wallace Curtis LeMay 9,901,118
13.53 / 100
13.56 / 100
46 / 538
1860 Constitutional Union John Bell Edward Everett 590,946
12.62 / 100
15.43 / 100
39 / 303
1848 Free Soil Martin Van Buren Charles F. Adams 291,475
10.13 / 100
13.79 / 100
0 / 290

Senate elections

The following are third party and independent candidates who have won senate seats since 1970.

Notable third-party senatorial performances (1991–2020)
Year State Party Nominee # Votes % Votes Place Notes
2018 Maine Independent Angus King 337,378
54.5 / 100
Re-elected
Vermont Independent Bernie Sanders 183,529
67.32 / 100
Re-elected
2012 Maine Independent Angus King 370,580
52.89 / 100
Elected
Vermont Independent Bernie Sanders 209,053
71.04 / 100
Re-elected
2010 Alaska Republican (write-in) Lisa Murkowski 101,091
39.49 / 100
Re-elected Lost Republican primary
2006 Connecticut Connecticut for Lieberman Joe Lieberman 564,095
49.71 / 100
Re-elected Lost Democratic primary
Vermont Independent Bernie Sanders 171,638
65.41 / 100
Elected
1976 Virginia Independent Harry F. Byrd Jr. 890,778
57.2 / 100
Re-elected
1970 Virginia Independent Harry F. Byrd Jr. 506,237
53.54 / 100
Re-elected
New York Conservative James L. Buckley 2,288,190
38.95 / 100
Elected

House elections

The following are third party and independent candidates who have received more than 30% of the popular vote since 2008.

Notable third party House performances (2022) – 19 entries
Year District Party Candidate # Votes % Votes Place
2022 North Dakota At-large Independent Cara Mund 89,644
37.6 / 100
2nd
Texas 26 Libertarian Mike Kolls 81,208
30.7 / 100
2nd
2020 Alaska At-large Independent/Undeclared Alyse Galvin[1] 159,856
45.3 / 100
2nd
2018 Alaska At-large Independent/Undeclared Alyse Galvin[1] 109,615
45.84 / 100
2nd
2016 Northern Mariana Islands At-large Independent Gregorio Sablan 10,605
100.0 / 100
Elected
Arizona 8 Green Mark Salazar 93,954
31.43 / 100
2nd
2014 Northern Mariana Islands At-large Independent Gregorio Sablan 8,549
65.29 / 100
Elected
2012 Puerto Rico At-large New Progressive Pedro Pierluisi 905,066
48.44 / 100
Elected
Popular Democratic Rafael Cox Alomar 881,181
47.16 / 100
2nd
California 33 Independent Bill Bloomfield 146,660
46.04 / 100
2nd
Kansas 3 Joel Balam 92,675
31.55 / 100
2nd
2008 American Samoa At-large Independent Eni Faleomavaega 7,498
60.38 / 100
Elected
Puerto Rico At-large New Progressive Pedro Pierluisi 1,010,285
53.05 / 100
Elected
New York 23 Conservative Doug Hoffman 69,553
45.98 / 100
2nd
Puerto Rico At-large Popular Democratic Alfredo Salazar Jr. 810,093
42.54 / 100
2nd
American Samoa At-large Amata Coleman Radewagen Independent 4,349
35.02 / 100
2nd

Gubernatorial elections

The following are third party and independent candidates who have won governerships since 1990.

Notable third party gubernatorial performances
Year State Party Nominee Running mate # Votes % Votes Place
2014 Alaska Independent Bill Walker Byron Mallott 134,658
48.1 / 100
Elected
Rhode Island Independent Lincoln Chafee 123,571
36.1 / 100
Elected
1998 Maine Independent Angus King 246,772
58.61 / 100
Re-elected
Minnesota Reform Jesse Ventura Mae Schunk 773,713
36.99 / 100
Elected
1994 Maine Independent Angus King 180,829
35.37 / 100
Elected
1990 Alaska Alaskan Independence Wally Hickel Jack Coghill 75,721
38.88 / 100
Elected
Connecticut A Connecticut Party Lowell Weicker Eunice Groark 460,576
40.36 / 100
Elected

Statistics

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

Legend:   1st 2nd 3rd
Elections with notable third party electoral performances (1900–present)[2]
State Gubernatorial elections Senate elections Total elections
Thres­hold reached Thres­hold candi­dates Third party victory Thres­hold reached Thres­hold candi­dates Third party victory Thres­hold reached Thres­hold candi­dates Third party victory
Alabama 5 6 0 4 4 0 9 10 0
Alaska 9 10 2 6 6 1 15 16 3
Arizona 5 5 0 7 11 0 12 16 0
Arkansas 10 11 0 6 6 1 16 17 1
California 8 10 1 9 11 0 17 21 1
Colorado 4 6 0 4 5 0 8 11 0
Connecticut 7 9 1 4 4 1 11 13 2
Delaware 2 2 0 1 1 0 3 3 0
Florida 3 3 1 3 3 0 6 6 1
Georgia 4 4 0 2 2 0 6 6 0
Hawaii 3 3 0 2 2 0 5 5 0
Idaho 13 16 0 4 5 0 17 21 0
Illinois 4 5 0 2 2 0 6 7 0
Indiana 2 4 0 4 4 0 6 8 0
Iowa 1 1 0 1 1 0 2 2 0
Kansas 7 8 0 5 6 0 12 14 0
Kentucky 2 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 0
Louisiana 3 3 0 2 2 0 5 5 0
Maine 13 18 3 5 5 2 18 23 5
Maryland 1 1 0 3 3 0 4 4 0
Massachusetts 10 10 0 4 4 0 14 14 0
Michigan 2 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 0
Minnesota 21 25 5 19 22 5 40 47 10
Mississippi 2 2 0 4 4 0 6 6 0
Missouri 1 1 0 1 1 0 2 2 0
Nebraska 10 10 1 4 5 1 14 15 2
Nevada 6 7 2 7 8 0 13 15 2
New Hampshire 4 4 0 1 1 0 5 5 0
New Jersey 2 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 0
New Mexico 2 2 0 1 1 0 3 3 0
New York 11 12 0 8 8 1 19 20 1
North Carolina 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0
North Dakota 7 8 1 9 11 1 16 19 2
Ohio 3 4 0 3 4 0 6 8 0
Oklahoma 7 7 0 3 3 0 10 10 0
Oregon 6 7 1 9 14 0 15 20 1
Pennsylvania 3 3 0 4 5 0 7 8 0
Rhode Island 7 9 0 1 1 0 8 10 0
South Carolina 0 0 0 2 2 1 2 2 1
South Dakota 7 9 0 5 7 0 12 16 0
Tennessee 7 8 0 4 4 0 11 12 0
Texas 9 12 0 1 1 0 10 13 0
Utah 6 7 0 3 3 0 9 10 0
Vermont 11 11 0 4 4 3 15 15 3
Virginia 4 4 0 14 18 2 18 22 2
Washington 7 8 0 5 6 0 12 14 0
West Virginia 4 4 0 0 0 0 4 4 0
Wisconsin 18 21 3 12 15 2 30 36 5
Wyoming 2 2 0 1 1 0 3 3 0
Total 284 327 21 203 236 21 487 563 42

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ a b Also listed as the de facto Democratic nominee.
  2. ^ The threshold is >5% of the vote.