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Third Parties


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Number of Presidential Candidates Tops 330 and Counting

By Eric Ostermeier on January 23, 2012
Individuals still filing at a rate of nearly one per day; men file at a 10:1 rate over women.

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Number of 2012 Presidential Candidates Approaches 250

By Eric Ostermeier on October 10, 2011
From Dorothy Adams of Donna, Texas to William Zollinger of Eugene, Oregon, 239 Americans have filed for a presidential run, with dozens more added each month.

Sharron's Angle: Independents Find Little Success in Nevada US House Races

By Eric Ostermeier on May 2, 2011
Only seven candidates from Nevada have run for the U.S. House as an independent since statehood; none have eclipsed 15 percent

Ex-Con Traficant Tops Independent & 3rd Party Candidates in Contested 2010 U.S. House Races

By Eric Ostermeier on December 7, 2010
Former 9-term congressman and federal convict wins 16.1 percent in bid for his old seat - best among alternative party candidates in 2010 in districts contested by both Democrats and Republicans

Did an Independent Turn South Dakota's 2010 U.S. House Race?

By Eric Ostermeier on November 14, 2010
B.Thomas Marking turns in the best performance by a South Dakota U.S. House independent or third party candidate in 80 years

Third Parties Leave Footprints in Minnesota's 2010 U.S. House Contests

By Eric Ostermeier on November 8, 2010
Votes for third party candidates eclipse 5 percent in six congressional districts; most since DFL merger in 1944

Third Party U.S. House Candidates Spike to Largest Midterm Election Mark Since 1934

By Eric Ostermeier on October 29, 2010
With an average of more than one candidate per district, it has been over 75 years since this many independent and third party U.S. House candidates appeared on midterm general election ballots

Dan Maes Poised to Set Record Low for GOP in Colorado Gubernatorial Election History

By Eric Ostermeier on October 26, 2010
Tom Tancredo looks to land the best third party showing in Colorado since the 1890s

When Alaska and Delaware Come Full Circle

By Eric Ostermeier on September 20, 2010
Republican Party leaders and Tea Party Express rail against Murkowski's write-in bid whilst supporting O'Donnell who similarly launched '06 write-in campaign after GOP primary loss

Run, Murkowski, Run? A Historical Review of Alaskan Statewide Write-in Campaigns

By Eric Ostermeier on September 17, 2010
No Alaskan candidate for statewide office has won more than 27 percent in a write-in campaign

Third Parties Flourishing in Wisconsin State Assembly Races

By Eric Ostermeier on September 14, 2010
Number of 2010 independent and third party Assembly candidates in Badger State reach highest level since 1974

Minnesota Third Parties to Set Modern Mark for Number of Midterm U.S. House Candidates in 2010

By Eric Ostermeier on September 7, 2010
Independence Party leads the way with seven - the most third party U.S. House candidates to run in any election cycle since the DFL merger in 1944

You Say You Want a Revolution? Third Party Gubernatorial Candidates Thriving in 2010

By Eric Ostermeier on August 4, 2010
Third party gubernatorial candidates rivaling 1994 for their best showing since the Great Depression

Will Minnesotans Elect a Plurality-Winning Governor for a 4th Straight Cycle?

By Eric Ostermeier on June 6, 2010
Only one other state has elected plurality-winning governors into office four times in a row since World War II (Alaska); Minnesota has not done so in 114 years

Charlie Crist and the Long Odds of an Independent U.S. Senate Candidacy

By Eric Ostermeier on May 24, 2010
Only six men have been elected to a first term in the U.S. Senate without major party backing since popular vote elections in 1914

Mike Parry Fends Off Critics, Engbrecht, and Srp to Hold 26th Senate District for GOP

By Eric Ostermeier on January 27, 2010
Tri-County District split support among the three candidates; Roy Srp turns in best State Senate performance for IP since 2002

Will Roy Srp Help to Upend Mike Parry? The Independent Streak of MN Senate District 26

By Eric Ostermeier on January 20, 2010
District has shown strong support for Independence Party candidates over the past decade

Bachmann vs Franken in 2014: A Dream Matchup?

By Eric Ostermeier on November 15, 2009
Scenario could also be best chance for 3rd party revival in Gopher State

Putting a Bow on the 2008 Minnesota U.S. Senate Contest (A Historical Analysis)

By Eric Ostermeier on July 1, 2009
With Governor Tim Pawlenty and Secretary of State Mark Ritchie signing the election certificate for the U.S. Senate seat on Tuesday evening, the 2008 Election is, after a 238-day wait, at last in the books. The 2008 U.S. Senate Election is noteworthy, of course, for its historic narrow margin of...

Hutchinson (’06) Performance Strong Predictor of Barkley Countywide Support in Minnesota Senate Race

By Eric Ostermeier on December 29, 2008
As documented by Smart Politics last week, Independence Party candidate Dean Barkley took a very different path to reach 15 percent in the 2008 Minnesota U.S. Senate race than did 2002 Independence Party gubernatorial nominee, Tim Penny (who reached 16 percent in that race). Penny’s support was heavily skewed towards...

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Political Crumbs

Governor vs. Governor vs. Governor

May 16, 2012

The last election cycle saw five ex-governors attempt to win back their old jobs, with success stories in California (Jerry Brown), Iowa (Terry Branstad), and Oregon (John Kitzhaber). But in 1904, the State of Wisconsin saw three governors on the general election ballot: two-term Republican incumbent Robert La Follette, former two-term Democratic Governor William Peck (elected in 1890 and 1892), and former two-term Republican Governor Edward Scofield (elected in 1896 and 1898). La Follette - with Teddy Roosevelt at the top of the ticket winning the presidency - cruised to an 11.3-point victory over Peck with 50.5 percent of the vote. Scofield ran a distant fourth on the National Republican ticket with just 2.7 percent - also losing to Social Democrat William Arnold who received 5.5 percent, but beating Prohibition and Socialist Labor candidates.


A Vote for No One

May 9, 2012

More than 50,000 North Carolina residents who voted in the Tuesday's Republican presidential primary opted for 'no preference' on their ballot, or 5.2 percent. That marks the second highest percentage of those who have done so in the 40 years of the modern primary era, behind the 9.8 percent who indicated no preference during George H.W. Bush's rout over Pat Buchanan in the state twenty years ago in 1992. In 2008, 4.0 percent were likewise noncommittal, with 1.7 percent voting no preference in 2000, 3.8 percent in 1996, 1.0 percent in 1988, 2.7 percent in 1980, and 1.7 percent in 1976.


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