You’ve probably sat around during a heated election cycle and heard someone grumble that they’re tired of the "lesser of two evils." It’s a classic American pastime. Then comes the inevitable question: has a third party candidate ever won? If we’re talking about the big chair—the White House—the short, blunt answer is no. Not really. Not in the way we think of modern third parties like the Libertarians or the Greens.
But history is messy. It's not just a series of clean "A vs. B" matchups. If you dig into the archives, you’ll find that the "two-party system" we obsess over today hasn't always looked the same. In fact, the Republican Party itself started as a third party. Imagine that. A scrappy upstart group centered on stopping the spread of slavery basically nuked the existing Whig Party and took over the whole show in less than a decade.
The Abraham Lincoln "Technicality"
Let's get into the weeds. People often ask if a third party has ever won because they want to know if it's possible. Technically, Abraham Lincoln won the 1860 election as a Republican, but at that moment, the Republicans were the "new kids." The Whigs were dying out. The Democrats were splitting into Northern and Southern factions. Lincoln didn’t just "win as a third party"—he oversaw the complete collapse of the previous political order.
Before Lincoln, you had the 1848 election where former President Martin Van Buren ran under the "Free Soil" banner. He didn't win a single state. Not one. But he grabbed 10% of the popular vote, which was enough to play spoiler and hand the victory to Zachary Taylor. This is the recurring theme of the American third party: they don't usually win the trophy, but they sure as hell decide who else gets it.
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Ross Perot and the 19% Shockwave
If you were alive in 1992, you remember the guy with the high-pitched voice and the poster boards. Ross Perot. He’s the closest thing we’ve had to a true outside disruption in modern memory. Honestly, for a minute there, it looked like he might actually do it. In June of 1992, Perot was actually leading in some polls against George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
He ended up with nearly 20 million votes. That’s roughly 19% of the popular vote. Yet, thanks to the way the Electoral College works, he received zero electoral votes. Zero. It’s a brutal system for anyone not wearing a red or blue jersey. Perot’s run didn't put him in the Oval Office, but it forced both major parties to start talking about the national debt, which was his main obsession. That’s the "stealth win" third parties often achieve—they change the conversation.
When Third Parties Actually Won... Other Stuff
While the Presidency is the "Big Game," third parties have actually found success in smaller arenas. You don’t have to look back to the 1800s for this.
Jesse Ventura, a professional wrestler of all things, won the governorship of Minnesota in 1998 running as a member of the Reform Party. He didn't have the backing of a major machine. He had a fringe party, a lot of charisma, and a fed-up electorate. It worked.
Then you have the Progressives. Back in the early 20th century, the "Bull Moose" Party (led by Teddy Roosevelt) was a powerhouse. Roosevelt actually came in second in the 1912 election, beating the incumbent Republican William Howard Taft. It’s the only time a third-party candidate has ever finished better than third.
- George Wallace (1968): Won 46 electoral votes. He was the last third-party candidate to actually win entire states.
- Strom Thurmond (1948): Grabbed 39 electoral votes by sweeping several Southern states.
- Robert La Follette (1924): Won his home state of Wisconsin and took 16% of the national vote.
Why Is It So Hard to Win?
Basically, the system is rigged—not necessarily by a secret cabal, but by the math. Most states use a "winner-take-all" system. If you get 15% of the vote in California, you get 0% of its power. This creates the "spoiler effect," where voters are terrified that voting for a third party will actually help the candidate they dislike the most.
Furthermore, the Commission on Presidential Debates (which is controlled by Democrats and Republicans) sets a 15% polling threshold for a candidate to even get on the stage. If you can't get on the stage, you can't get the votes. If you can't get the votes, you can't get on the stage. It’s a perfect, frustrating circle.
Ballot access is another nightmare. Every state has different rules. Some require tens of thousands of signatures gathered in a tiny window of time. Major parties are already on the ballot; third parties have to spend millions of dollars just to prove they exist in the eyes of the law.
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The Regional Success Stories
If you broaden the scope beyond the Presidency, third parties and independents have actually held significant power.
Look at Bernie Sanders or Angus King. They aren’t technically members of a third "party"—they are independents—but they represent the same "outside" energy. They’ve held Senate seats for decades. In the 1930s and 40s, the Farmer-Labor Party was so dominant in Minnesota that it eventually merged with the Democrats to become the DFL (Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party), which still exists today.
What Happens Next?
So, will we ever see a third-party President? The conditions for it usually involve a "realignment" period. This happens when one of the two major parties becomes so disconnected from its base that it cracks open.
Right now, we see a lot of "fusion" voting or Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) gaining steam in places like Alaska and Maine. RCV is arguably the biggest threat to the two-party duopoly because it removes the "fear" of wasting a vote. You can rank a third-party candidate first, and if they lose, your vote automatically goes to your second choice.
Actionable Steps for the Politically Curious
If you are tired of the two-party system and want to see how "third party" influence actually works in the real world, here is what you should do:
Research Ballot Access Laws
Check out your specific state's requirements for a new party to get on the ballot. You’ll quickly see why third parties spend more time in courtrooms than on the campaign trail. Ballotpedia is a great resource for this.
Monitor Ranked Choice Voting Initiatives
Look at organizations like FairVote. If you want to see a third party win, the path isn't through a "magic" candidate; it's through changing the voting mechanics in your local municipality or state.
Look at Local Elections
Third parties often win city council seats or school board positions. This is where "bench strength" is built. A party can't win the White House if it doesn't even have a mayor.
Analyze the 15% Rule
Follow the lawsuits regarding the Commission on Presidential Debates. This is the "gatekeeper" that prevents third-party candidates from reaching a mass audience. Understanding this rule is key to understanding why voices like Gary Johnson or Jill Stein never broke through the "glass ceiling" of American politics.
Ultimately, while no third-party candidate has sat in the Oval Office in the modern era, they have been the primary drivers of policy shifts—from the abolition of slavery to the 40-hour workweek. They don't win the office, but they often win the argument.