List of third-party performances in United States presidential elections

About List of third-party performances in United States presidential elections in brief

In the 59 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. The last third party candidate to win a state was George Wallace of the American Independent Party in 1968. The most recent third party candidates to receive an electoral vote were Libertarian Ron Paul and Sioux Nation independent Faith Spotted Eagle who received a vote each from faithless electors in 2016. The list includes the Statewide performance of major party candidates on party ballot lines other than their own, either through electoral fusion or having to run in opposition to their state party. It does not include those cases, such as found in present-day Connecticut or California, where a third party shares the same ballot line as the main party. The vote totals and percentages listed are those they received under that particular party label. In the list below, the party column shows which affiliation appeared on the ballot in which corresponding States. In 1856 the two-party system of Democrats and Whigs collapsed.

Southern Whigs and a minority of northern Whigs coalesced around the anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic American Party. Their candidate was former President Millard Fillmore, who won 22% but carried only one state, Maryland, thus winning 8 electoral votes. Many Northern Whigs, like Abraham Lincoln, joined the newly formed Republican Party. The Republicans ran John C. Frémont, who finished second with 33. 1% and 114 electoral votes, but only won 39 electoral votes from three states. This election would mark the first time any third party received more electoral votes than the major party in a US presidential election. Abraham Lincoln ran his re-election campaign as a National Union party, consisting of both Democrats and Republicans, known as National Union Republicans. Abraham Lincoln won the election in 1864, but in 1872 Greeley was nominated by the Liberal Republicans to oppose Republican President Ulysses S. Grant. Greeley won six states and 43% of popular vote, but died shortly after the election. The Liberal Republicans were a breakaway party that was dissatisfied with Grant’s presidency.