In the United States, a two-party system is the norm when it comes to political election. Despite this, there have been a number of brave souls who have decided to step outside of the box and take a run for the country’s highest office. These third-party candidates have ranged from heroic to comical, and from highly successful to little-known. In this article, we look at some of the most successful third party presidential candidates in U.S. history and discuss why they have made an indelible mark in our nation’s political history.
The Eight Most Successful Third Party Presidential Candidates
- Ross Perot (Reform Party)
The Reform Party candidate Ross Perot ran in the 1992 presidential election and was arguably the most successful third-party candidate in the history of the United States. He garnered nearly 19 percent of the vote, which is the highest third-party vote percentage in over a century. Perot ran on the platform of economic nationalism, advocating for balanced budgets, free trade, and term limits for members of Congress. His campaign was one of the most successful in U.S. history, given its fairly short-lived existence.
- Theodore Roosevelt (Progressive Party)
Another major third-party presidential candidate was Theodore Roosevelt, who ran as the leader of the Progressive Party (also known as the Bull Moose Party) in 1912. Roosevelt had been a long-time beloved figure in the Republican Party, but in 1912 he decided to try his luck in the presidential election as a third-party candidate. He received a total of 27.4 percent of the vote, the most ever won by a third-party candidate. His supporters credited him with reinvigorating the spirit of progressivism in American politics.
- John Anderson (Independent)
In 1980, Illinois Republican Congressman John Anderson ran as an independent in the presidential election. He garnered 6.6 percent of the vote, a significant amount for a third-party candidate in a two-party system. His platform focused on a new era of bipartisanship, with one of his slogans being, “I believe in the future of the two-party system—but not the two-party system as we know it today.” Anderson hoped to bring together the traditional divide between the Democratic and Republican parties, and ended up influencing the direction of the1980 election.
- Ralph Nader (Green Party)
Ralph Nader ran for president as the Green Party candidate in both 2000 and 2004. With a campaign focused on environmental protection, consumer rights, and corporate accountability, Nader received 3 percent of the vote in 2000. While this is a relatively small percentage, it had a drastic effect on the presidential race and has been seen as potentially costing Al Gore the election, due to the close race between him and George W. Bush.
- Eugene Debs (Socialist Party of America)
In 1920, labor leader and Socialist Party of America leader Eugene Debs ran for president, receiving a surprisingly high 3.4 percent of the vote despite the fact that he was incarcerated for acts of civil disobedience. Debs is remembered for his dedication to working class rights and his opposition to the war effort of World War I. He is widely seen as one of the architects of the modern labor movement, having fought for workers’ rights and advocating for civil rights throughout his career.
- Strom Thurmond (States’ Rights Party)
The presidential campaign of 1948 saw the emergence of the States’ Rights Party, also known as the Dixiecrats. This party was formed in Southern states to bolster the platform of segregation and other states’ rights issues. At the time, the Democratic Party was becoming increasingly supportive of civil rights for African Americans, so the Dixiecrats formed as a protest. Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond was their presidential candidate and he ultimately won 2.4 percent of the vote.
- Jill Stein (Green Party)
Jill Stein ran for president in the 2012 election as the Green Party candidate. Her platform was similar to that of Ralph Nader’s, focusing on environmental protection, social justice, and corporate accountability. She also expressed support for the Occupy Wall Street movement and addressed issues such as economic inequality and campaign finance reform. She ultimately received 0.36 percent of the popular vote.
- Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party)
The most recently successfull third-party candidate is Gary Johnson, who ran in the 2016 election as the Libertarian Party candidate. He ran on a platform of economic, social, and foreign policy libertarianism, advocating for lower taxes, an end to the war on drugs, and a non-interventionist foreign policy. He received 3.3 percent of the vote, making him the most successful Libertarian candidate in history.
Though they didn’t always win, the third party candidates discussed in this article have become part of our nation’s history. Their journeys to the national political stage have inspired countless individuals and created a more diverse and inclusive system of government. From Ross Perot to Gary Johnson, each of these presidential hopefuls have demonstrated that a third-party candidacy can be a powerful tool for change and progress in our nation.
