This information contains four lists of third-party and independent performances in United States presidential elections:

National results for third-party or independent presidential candidates that won above 5% of the popular vote (1788–present) National results for third-party or independent presidential candidates that won between 1% and 5% of the popular vote (1788–present) State results where a third-party or independent presidential candidate won above 5% of the popular vote (1832–present) State results where a major-party candidate received above 1% of the state popular vote from a third party cross-endorsement (1896–present)

It is rare for candidates, other than those of the six parties which have succeeded as major parties (Federalist Party, Democratic-Republican Party, National Republican Party, Democratic Party, Whig Party, Republican Party), to take large shares of the vote in elections.

, the last third party presidential candidate to win an electoral vote was John Hospers in 1972, when a faithless elector voted for him over Republican Richard Nixon.

National results Above 5% (1788–present) This list includes the third-party candidates that captured at least one state and/or more than 5% of the popular vote.

YearPartyNomineeRunning mate# Votes% VotesElectoral VotesPlaceNotes1832NullifierJohn FloydHenry Lee0All of John Floyd's electoral votes came from South Carolina where the Electors were chosen by the state legislatures rather than by popular vote.N/A3rdAnti-MasonicWilliam WirtAmos Ellmaker99,8174th1848Free SoilMartin Van BurenCharles Francis Adams Sr.291,4753rd1856AmericanMillard FillmoreAndrew Jackson Donelson872,7031860Constitutional UnionJohn BellEdward Everett590,9463rd1872Liberal RepublicanAlso nominated as the Democratic candidate.Horace GreeleyBenjamin Gratz Brown2,834,761Greeley would have received 66 electoral votes, but he died prior to the electoral vote count, so his votes were scattered.2nd1892PopulistJames B. WeaverJames G. Field1,026,5953rd1912ProgressiveTheodore RooseveltHiram Johnson4,120,6092ndSocialistEugene V. DebsEmil Seidel900,7424th1924ProgressiveRobert M. La FolletteBurton K. Wheeler4,833,8213rd1948States' Rights Democratic (Dixiecrat)Strom ThurmondFielding L. Wright1,175,9461968American IndependentGeorge WallaceCurtis LeMay9,901,1181980IndependentJohn B. AndersonPatrick Lucey5,719,8501992IndependentRoss PerotJames Stockdale19,743,8211996ReformRoss PerotPat Choate8,085,402

Gallery

Above 1% (1788–present) This list includes the third-party candidates that captured less than 5% but more than 1% of the popular vote and no electoral votes.

YearPartyNomineeRunning mateNo. votes% VotesPlaceNote1808IndependentDemocratic-RepublicanJames Monroe-4,8483rd-1812Straight-FederalistRufus KingWilliam Richardson Davie5,574-1820IndependentDemocratic-RepublicanDeWitt Clinton-1,893-1844LibertyJames G. BirneyThomas Morris62,300"History of American Presidential Elections, Volume I 1789–1844, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.1852Free SoilJohn P. HaleGeorge Washington Julian155,799-1880GreenbackJames B. WeaverBarzillai J. Chambers308,578"History of American Presidential Elections, Volume II 1848–1896, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.,1884Benjamin ButlerAbsolom M. West175,370ProhibitionJohn St. JohnWilliam Daniel150,3694th1888Clinton FiskJohn A. Brooks249,5063rdUnion LaborAlson StreeterCharles E. Cunningham146,9354th1892ProhibitionJohn BidwellJames Cranfill255,8411900John G. WoolleyHenry B. Metcalf209,1573rd1904SocialistEugene V. DebsBenjamin Hanford402,895"History of American Presidential Elections, Volume III 1900–1936, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.ProhibitionSilas C. SwallowGeorge W. Carroll258,9504th1908SocialistEugene V. DebsBenjamin Hanford420,8903rdProhibitionEugene W. ChafinAaron S. Watkins252,5114th1912207,8285th1916SocialistAllan L. BensonGeorge Ross Kirkpatrick585,1133rdProhibitionFrank HanlyIra Landrith220,5064th1920SocialistEugene V. DebsSeymour Stedman919,7993rd1932SocialistNorman ThomasJames H. Maurer884,7811936UnionWilliam LemkeThomas C. O'Brien882,4791948ProgressiveHenry A. WallaceGlen H. Taylor1,157,1724th1972American IndependentJohn G. SchmitzThomas J. Anderson1,100,8683rd-1980LibertarianEd ClarkDavid H. Koch921,1284th-2000GreenRalph NaderWinona LaDuke2,882,9553rd-2016LibertarianGary JohnsonWilliam Weld4,484,244-GreenJill SteinAjamu Baraka1,454,2444th-2020LibertarianJo JorgensenSpike Cohen1,865,6203rd

Gallery

State Level Performance Gallery

By state Third-party and independent candidates (1832–present) This list includes the statewide performance of third-party candidates not included in the lists above who accrued 5% or more of a state's popular vote.

Many third-party candidates have run under different affiliations in different states. They do this for many reasons, including laws restricting ballot access, cross-endorsements by other established parties, etc. In the list below, the party column shows which of a given candidate's affiliation(s) appeared on the ballot in which corresponding state(s).

1832–1860 +(1832–1860)YearStatePartyNomineeRunning mate# Votes% VotesPlaceNotes1832ConnecticutAnti-MasonicWilliam WirtAmos Ellmaker3,4093rdMassachusetts14,6922ndPennsylvania66,689Vermont13,1061st1844MaineLibertyJames G. BirneyThomas Morris4,8363rdMassachusetts10,830Michigan3,639New Hampshire4,161Vermont3,9701848ConnecticutFree SoilMartin Van BurenCharles Francis Adams Sr.5,005Illinois15,702Indiana8,100Maine12,157Massachusetts38,3332ndMichigan10,3933rdNew Hampshire7,560New York120,4972ndOhio35,3473rdRhode Island730Vermont13,8372ndWisconsin10,4183rd1852IllinoisJohn P. HaleGeorge Washington Julian9,8633rdMaine8,030Massachusetts28,023Michigan7,237New Hampshire6,546Ohio31,732Vermont8,621Wisconsin8,814GeorgiaUnionDaniel WebsterCharles J. Jenkins5,3241856AlabamaAmericanMillard FillmoreAndrew Jackson Donelson28,5522ndArkansas10,732California36,195Delaware6,275Florida4,833Georgia42,439Illinois37,5313rdIndiana22,386Iowa9,669Kentucky67,4162ndLouisiana20,709Maryland47,4521stMassachusetts19,6263rdMississippiWhig24,1912ndMissouriAmerican48,522New Jersey24,1153rdNew York124,206North CarolinaWhig36,7202ndOhioAmerican28,1263rdPennsylvania82,189Rhode Island1,675Tennessee63,8782ndTexas15,639Virginia60,1501860AlabamaConstitutional UnionJohn BellEdward Everett27,8352ndArkansas20,063California9,1114thDelaware3,8882ndFlorida4,801Georgia42,960Kentucky66,0581stLouisiana20,2042ndMaryland41,760Massachusetts22,3313rdMississippi25,0452ndMissouri58,372North Carolina45,129Tennessee69,7281stTexas15,4382ndVirginia74,4811st

1864–1900 +(1864–1900)YearStatePartyNomineeRunning mate# Votes% VotesPlaceNotes1876KansasGreenbackPeter CooperSamuel Fenton Cary7,7703rd1880IowaJames B. WeaverBarzillai J. Chambers32,327Kansas19,851Michigan34,895Missouri35,042Texas27,405West Virginia9,0081884KansasBenjamin ButlerAbsolom M. West16,364Massachusetts24,3821888MinnesotaProhibitionClinton B. FiskJohn A. Brooks15,311ArkansasUnion LaborAlson StreeterCharles E. Cunningham10,630Kansas37,788Texas29,4591892AlabamaPeople'sJames B. WeaverJames G. Field84,9842ndArkansas11,8313rdCalifornia25,311Colorado53,5841stFlorida4,8432ndGeorgia41,9393rdIdaho10,5201stKansas163,111Kentucky23,5003rdMinnesotaFusion29,313MississippiPeople's10,1182ndMissouri41,2043rdMontana7,338Nebraska83,1342ndNevada7,2641stNorth Carolina44,3363rdNorth Dakota17,7001stOregon26,9652ndSouth DakotaIndependent26,544TennesseePeople's23,9183rdTexas99,6882ndWashington19,1653rdWyomingDemocratic7,7222ndMinnesotaProhibitionJohn BidwellJames B. Cranfill14,1824th1900FloridaJohn G. WoolleyHenry B. Metcalf2,2443rd

1904–1940 +(1904–1940)YearStatePartyNomineeRunning mate# Votes% VotesPlaceNotes1904CaliforniaSocialistEugene V. DebsBen Hanford29,5353rdFlorida2,337Idaho4,949Illinois69,225Montana5,676Nevada925Oregon7,619Utah5,767Washington10,023WisconsinSocial Democratic28,240GeorgiaPeople'sThomas E. WatsonThomas Tibbles22,635Nebraska20,5181908CaliforniaSocialistEugene V. DebsBen Hanford28,659Florida3,747Idaho6,400Montana5,855Nevada2,103Oklahoma21,734Oregon7,339Washington14,177WisconsinSocial Democratic28,147GeorgiaPeople'sThomas E. WatsonSamuel Williams16,6871912AlabamaProgressiveTheodore RooseveltHiram Johnson22,6802ndArizona6,949Arkansas21,6443rdCaliforniaRepublican283,6101stColoradoProgressive72,3062ndConnecticut34,1293rdDelaware8,886Florida4,555Georgia21,9852ndIdaho25,5273rdIllinois386,4782ndIndiana162,007Iowa161,819Kentucky101,7663rdKansasIndependent120,2102ndLouisianaProgressive9,283Maine48,495Maryland57,789Massachusetts142,2283rdMichigan214,5841stMinnesota125,856Mississippi3,4592ndMissouri124,3753rdMontana22,4562ndNebraska72,681Nevada5,620New Hampshire17,7943rdNew Jersey145,4102ndNew Mexico8,3473rdNew York390,093North Carolina69,1302ndNorth Dakota25,726Ohio229,8073rdOregon37,6002ndPennsylvania444,8941stRhode Island16,8783rdSouth DakotaRepublican58,8111stTennesseeProgressive54,0413rdTexas26,745Utah24,174Vermont22,1322ndVirginia21,7773rdWashington113,6981stWest Virginia79,1122ndWisconsin62,4483rdWyoming9,232ArizonaSocialistEugene V. DebsEmil Seidel3,163Arkansas8,1534thCalifornia79,2013rdColorado16,4184thConnecticut10,056Florida4,8062ndIdaho11,9604thIllinois81,278Indiana36,931Kansas26,779Louisiana5,2613rdMinnesotaPublic Ownership27,5054thMontanaSocialist10,885Nevada3,3133rdNew Mexico2,8594thNorth Dakota6,966Ohio90,144Oklahoma41,6743rdOregon13,3434thPennsylvania83,614Texas24,896Utah9,023Washington40,134West Virginia15,248WisconsinSocial Democratic33,476WyomingSocialist2,7601916ArizonaSocialistAllan L. BensonGeorge Ross Kirkpatrick3,1743rdFlorida5,353Idaho8,066Minnesota20,117Montana9,564Nevada3,065North Dakota5,716Oklahoma45,190Texas18,963Washington22,800Wisconsin27,631FloridaProhibitionFrank HanlyIra Landrith4,7864thGeorgiaProgressiveUnpledgedJohn M. Parker20,6922ndLouisiana6,3493rd1920CaliforniaSocialistEugene V. DebsSeymour Stedman64,076Minnesota56,106Nevada1,864New York203,201Oklahoma25,726Wisconsin80,635MontanaFarmer–LaborParley P. ChristensenMax S. Hayes12,204South DakotaNonpartisan League34,707WashingtonFarmer–Labor77,246TexasAmericanJames E. FergusonWilliam Hough47,9683rdBlack & Tan RepublicanUnpledged electors27,2474th1924ArizonaProgressiveRobert M. La FolletteBurton K. Wheeler17,2103rdArkansas13,173CaliforniaSocialist424,6492ndColoradoLa Follette-Wheeler Independent57,3683rdFarmer–Labor12,577Total69,945ConnecticutProgressive42,416Delaware4,979Florida8,625Georgia12,691Idaho54,1602ndIllinois432,0273rdIndiana71,700Iowa274,4482ndKansasIndependent98,4613rdMaineProgressive11,382Maryland47,157Massachusetts141,225Michigan122,014MinnesotaIndependent339,1922ndMissouriSocialist84,1603rdMontanaProgressive66,1232ndNebraska106,7013rdNevadaIndependent9,7692ndNew HampshireProgressive8,9933rdNew Jersey108,901New Mexico9,543New YorkSocialist268,510Progressive206,395Total474,905North DakotaNonpartisan League89,9222ndOhioProgressive357,9483rdOklahomaFarmer–Labor46,375OregonIndependent68,4032ndPennsylvaniaFarmer–Labor214,1263rdSocialist93,441Total307,567South DakotaIndependent75,3552ndTexasProgressive42,8813rdUtah32,662Vermont5,964Washington150,7272ndWest VirginiaFarmer–Labor36,7233rdWisconsinIndependent453,6781stLa Follette easily won his home state of Wisconsin, picking up 13 electoral votes.WyomingProgressive25,1742ndFloridaProhibitionHerman P. FarisMarie C. Brehm5,4984th1936MassachusettsUnionWilliam LemkeThomas C. O'Brien118,6393rdMinnesota74,296North Dakota36,708OregonIndependent21,831Rhode IslandUnion19,569

1944–1980