You're probably here because of the Jul 2025 rerun. This is the 12th time since 2016 (archive start) this story has run. The previous rerun was Nov 2024.
About this story
In recent U.S. presidential cycles, third-party, independent and new-party efforts have drawn bursts of national coverage over polling, debate thresholds, ballot access and "spoiler" arguments. Cases include Gary Johnson and Evan McMullin in 2016, Kanye West and Howie Hawkins in 2020, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and No Labels in 2023–24, and Elon Musk's "America Party" in 2025.
Johnson's certified 2016 share was 3.28%, and NPR reported that 2020 Libertarian nominee Jo Jorgensen got a bit more than 1%. Michael Bloomberg and Howard Schultz decided not to run, No Labels fielded no ticket, and Kennedy suspended his campaign in August 2024 and endorsed Trump.
Afterward, McMullin ran for U.S. Senate in Utah in 2022 and Jill Stein ran again in 2024. Reason reported in 2020 that Libertarians would soon have more than 200 elected officials nationwide.
Sources:
1
Rerun #12
Jul 2025 Musk's "America Party" (2025)
On Saturday, July 5, 2025, Musk announced on X that "the America Party is formed" (NOTUS; PBS/AP). PBS/AP reported that he indicated he would use the party to get involved in the 2026 midterm elections. He had proposed on X to "laser-focus on just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts" (NOTUS). Two days after the announcement, PBS/AP reported it was "unclear what steps — if any — he's taken." PBS/AP and NOTUS also reported that a run of party filings citing Musk or his companies appeared in the Federal Election Commission database. PBS/AP said none of them appeared to be real, and Musk said on X that one of them was false. Ahead of the 2026 midterms, Axios reported in July 2026 that Musk had revived his America PAC and that it was focused on Republican turnout.
- x.com
social post
the America Party is formed
63,900,000 views as of 2026-10-28
- Public Broadcasting Service
article
it's unclear what steps — if any — he's taken to do so, or how the effort might affect upcoming elections.
Sources:
Public Broadcasting Service reliable · notus.org needs a second source · Axios reliable
Rerun #11
Nov 2024 Stein's 2024 vote in Arab American communities
In 2024 Jill Stein ran for president as the Green Party candidate. Right after Election Day, coverage of her campaign focused on her vote in Dearborn, Mich. Newsweek describes metro Detroit as home to the nation's largest concentration of Arab Americans, with many of them living in Dearborn. Stein put Israel's wars with Hamas and Hezbollah at the center of her campaign, and Newsweek reports that many in the city were upset with the Biden-Harris administration's handling of the Israel-Hamas war. Early figures for Dearborn differed. On Nov. 6, Newsweek reported that Stein won 22% there, citing an NBC projection based on unofficial city clerk results (Harris 28%, Trump 47%). The same day, WDET reported 18% for Stein, citing the city's unofficial results (Harris 36%, Trump 42%). WDET also reported that some Muslim and Arab American voters shifted toward Stein and Trump hoping one of them would end Israel's war in Gaza.
- Newsweek (pre–2013)
article
Jill Stein won 22% of the vote in the fiercely contested city of Dearborn, Michigan, according to a projection from NBC.
- wdet.org
article
Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who campaigned as the anti-war candidate, received 18% of the votes.
Sources:
Newsweek (pre–2013) needs a second source · wdet.org needs a second source
Rerun #10
Aug 2024 – Sep 2024 Kennedy suspends his campaign and endorses Trump; court fights over third-party ballot access
On Aug. 23, 2024, independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his campaign and endorsed Republican nominee Donald Trump. He said he would remove his name in "about 10 battleground states" and stay on the ballot in many noncompetitive states. CBS reported that he was on the ballot in more than 23 states at that point and waiting on another 22. In the same weeks, Democratic-aligned challengers won legal challenges keeping the Party for Socialism and Liberation off Pennsylvania's presidential ballot, which Spotlight PA described as holding "at least for now." A lawyer with Republican ties argued in court for Cornel West's place on that ballot, which the Pennsylvania Supreme Court rejected on Sept. 16. The Michigan Supreme Court let West's place on Michigan's ballot stand on Sept. 9. AP described the fights as "a raft of partisan legal maneuvering around third-party candidates." These weeks show the election-year part of the pattern: a major independent candidacy ending, plus ballot-access fights and spoiler arguments over third-party candidates.
- cbsnews.com
article
In about 10 battleground states where my presence would be a spoiler, I'm going to remove my name, and I've already started the process,
- spotlightpa.org
article
Pennsylvania Democrats have won legal challenges keeping the left-wing Party for Socialism and Liberation off the battleground state's presidential ballot, at least for now
- wesa.fm
article
Pennsylvania's Supreme Court on Monday upheld a lower court ruling that rejected a bid to get independent presidential candidate Cornel West on the ballot
- news.bloomberglaw.com
article
Activist and independent presidential candidate Cornel West is eligible for Michigan’s ballot, after the state Supreme Court declined to touch lower judges’ rulings on the matter.
- c-span.org
video
Watch
Sources:
Voice of America reliable · cbsnews.com reliable · spotlightpa.org needs a second source · news.bloomberglaw.com needs a second source
Rerun #9
May 2024 Libertarians nominate Chase Oliver at a national convention where Trump is booed
On May 26, 2024, Chase Oliver won the Libertarian Party's presidential nomination on the seventh ballot, with 60.6% of the final-round vote against "none of the above" (Reason). The night before, Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, was booed repeatedly while speaking to the convention. During the speech he suggested some Libertarians want to "keep getting your 3% every four years." NPR noted that Gary Johnson got about 3% in 2016 and Jo Jorgensen a bit more than 1% in 2020 (NPR). Reason reported "widespread media attention in recent weeks" on whether the party would nominate Kennedy or Trump. Neither came close. Kennedy was eliminated after the first ballot, and Trump got six write-in votes (Reason). The convention is the Libertarian Party's 2024 presidential nominating event, covered by NPR, PBS, Reason and Fox News.
- NPR
article
Donald Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing the Libertarian Party National Convention on Saturday night
- reason.com
article
won the Libertarian Party's presidential nomination in dramatic fashion Sunday night, prevailing on the seventh round of balloting
- Fox News
article
after showing very little support for former President Trump and RFK Jr.
Sources:
NPR reliable · Public Broadcasting Service reliable · reason.com needs a second source · Fox News needs a second source
Rerun #8
Apr 2024 No Labels ends its "unity ticket" effort
No Labels, a centrist group tied to the Congressional Problem Solvers Caucus, announced in 2023 that it planned to field a presidential ticket as an alternative to Biden and Trump. By April 2024 it had won ballot access in 21 states (CNN; NPR). On April 4, 2024 it said it would not run anyone because "No such candidates emerged." Before that, several prospects had said no or backed away, including Christie, Haley, Manchin, Hogan and Sinema (CNN; NPR). Leading Democrats had worried the ticket would pull votes from Biden and help Trump; Nancy Pelosi called it "perilous to our democracy" (NPR). This makes it a third-party effort that drew wide coverage and "spoiler" debate, then left presidential politics before any votes were cast.
- CNN
article
No Labels has always said we would only offer our ballot line to a ticket if we could identify candidates with a credible path to winning the White House. No such candidates emerged, so the responsible course of action is for us to stand down
- NPR
article
The group No Labels will not nominate a third-party presidential candidate this year.
- cbsnews.com
article
Before nixing its efforts, No Labels said it qualified on the ballot in 21 states, far more than independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Sources:
CNN reliable · NPR reliable · cbsnews.com reliable
Rerun #7
Oct 2023 – ongoing RFK Jr. goes independent
On Oct. 9, 2023, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in Philadelphia that he was dropping his Democratic primary challenge to President Biden and running for president as an independent. He had been running as a Democrat since mid-April 2023. Coverage that day focused on whether he would draw votes from Biden or Trump. The Inquirer pointed to Jill Stein's 2016 Pennsylvania vote total (49,941), which was larger than Trump's margin there (44,292), and said Democrats would scrutinize his ballot access. A Reuters/Ipsos poll the week before had him at 14% in a three-way race. A Quinnipiac poll of registered voters taken Oct. 26–30, 2023 had him at 22% against Biden and Trump. On Aug. 23, 2024, he suspended his campaign and backed Trump, but said his name would stay on the ballot in most states.
- CNN
article
I'm here to declare myself an independent candidate for president of the United States
- inquirer.com
article
the odds are being calculated on whether Kennedy's independent run helps or hurts President Joe Biden
- poll.qu.edu
article
Biden receives 39 percent support, Trump receives 36 percent support, and Kennedy receives 22 percent support
Sources:
CNN reliable · inquirer.com needs a second source · poll.qu.edu needs a second source · washingtonstatestandard.com needs a second source
Rerun #6
Sep 2020 Wisconsin Green Party ballot-access fight over Howie Hawkins
A Green Party presidential nominee drew national coverage, including from CNN, because of a ballot-access fight in what CNN called a "key battleground state." The coverage was framed around the "spoiler" question. The Wisconsin Examiner reported that Democrats saw Howie Hawkins as a spoiler candidate whose candidacy would end up helping President Donald Trump. WPR reported that the case was watched closely because a Green Party candidacy could pull votes from Democratic nominee Joe Biden. The party also had its ballot record at stake: according to the Green Party, it had been on the Wisconsin ballot in every presidential election since 1996. Ballot-access battles and spoiler debates are two of the markers the thread lists.
- wisconsinexaminer.com
article
The Wisconsin Supreme Court issued an order on Thursday afternoon halting the mailing of absentee ballots to Wisconsin voters
- CNN
article
create a substantial possibility of confusion among voters who had already received, and possibly returned, the original ballots
- gp.org
statement
We were screwed.
Sources:
wisconsinexaminer.com needs a second source · CNN reliable · gp.org needs a second source · wpr.org needs a second source
Rerun #5
Jul 2020 – Aug 2020 Kanye West's late independent bid (2020)
West entered the 2020 race as an independent in July 2020. The Washington Post describes "Birthday Party" as the label he ran under. He held only one rally, in North Charleston, S.C. (Washington Post, Aug 9). On Aug 5, CNN reported that "Republican operatives, some with ties to President Donald Trump" were helping him get on ballots in states including Vermont, Arkansas and Wisconsin. The Post put the number at "at least five states." Both reports included denials: the Trump campaign told CNN it had "no knowledge" of West's effort, and Trump told reporters he had "nothing to do" with it. Both outlets documented Republican operatives' involvement in his ballot-access drive, but neither documented coordination with the Trump campaign. In California, the American Independent Party listed West as its vice-presidential candidate, and Deadline reported that it did so without consulting him. West was on the ballot in 12 states and had about 60,000 votes in early AP counts. His biggest total was in Tennessee, and Deadline reported his share was never over 0.04% in any state (Deadline/AP, The Hill). On Nov 4, the night after Election Day and around the time of Joe Biden's speech, he tweeted "WELP KANYE 2024" (Deadline; The Hill gives it as "KANYE 2024"). Fit with the thread is only partial: West ran as a one-off celebrity independent rather than as a party candidate.
- wral.com
article
Republican operatives, some with ties to President Donald Trump, are actively helping Kanye West get on presidential general election ballots in states ranging from Vermont to Arkansas to Wisconsin.
- The Washington Post
article
Their involvement raises the specter that his candidacy is being propped up by a GOP-driven effort to siphon votes from presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
Sources:
wral.com needs a second source · The Washington Post reliable · deadline.com needs a second source · The Hill reliable
Rerun #4
Jan 2019 – Feb 2019 Howard Schultz explores an independent 2020 presidential run
In an interview that aired January 27, 2019, Schultz said he was "seriously thinking" about running for president "as a centrist independent, outside of the two-party system." Over the following days, CNBC reported Democratic donors' worries that he could split the vote and help President Trump win, and "Boycott Starbucks" hashtags circulated on Twitter. On February 25 Buffett said an independent run "would be a real mistake." Schultz took the summer off from politics after back surgeries. On September 6, 2019, he announced he would not run, saying an independent campaign "is not how I can best serve our country at this time."
- NPR
article
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz says he is thinking about a run for president as a "centrist independent."
- cnbc.com
article
social media hashtags such as "Boycott Starbucks" making the rounds on Twitter.
- cnbc.com
article
So I think it would be a real mistake for him to run.
Sources:
NPR reliable · cnbc.com reliable · cnbc.com reliable · cnbc.com reliable
Rerun #3
Oct 2016 – Nov 2016 Evan McMullin's Utah surge (independent)
McMullin launched an independent presidential campaign in August 2016. By late October it was "leanly staffed and leanly financed" and had fallen "far short of even qualifying for the ballot in all 50 states." Utah polls still drew national coverage of how his surge there threatened to squeeze Trump's path to victory. CNN noted on Oct. 21 that it had been 48 years since a third-party candidate won any electoral votes. An Emerson College poll released Oct. 19 had him at 31%, Trump at 27% and Clinton at 24% in Utah (CNBC; Deseret News). A Monmouth University poll of likely Utah voters, conducted Oct. 30–Nov. 2 and released Nov. 3, had Trump at 37%, Clinton at 31% and McMullin at 24%. McMullin finished with 21.5% in Utah. In 2022 he ran as an independent for U.S. Senate in Utah and lost to Republican incumbent Mike Lee (Ballotpedia).
- cnbc.com
article
McMullin had 31 percent of support — while Trump had 27 percent and Clinton had 24 percent in the state.
- CNN
article
Utah isn't supposed to be a swing state.
- monmouth.edu
statement
While McMullin has cut into Trump’s partisan support, the independent candidate has not broken out of third place
Sources:
CNN reliable · deseret.com needs a second source · monmouth.edu needs a second source · ballotpedia.org needs a second source
Rerun #2
Aug 2016 – Sep 2016 Gary Johnson's debate-threshold push and "Aleppo" stumbles (2016)
Johnson was the Libertarian nominee in a presidential year. Much of his national coverage in this stretch was about whether he could reach the debate stage, and some was about foreign-policy stumbles. Reason reported that the five polls the commission chose gave him "a base of 10 percent," against "the 8.4 percent average he currently shows" at RealClearPolitics (Aug. 15). It also noted that the 15 percent threshold would be applied in mid-September for the first debate. On Sept. 8, asked on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" about Aleppo, he replied "And what is Aleppo?" (CNN). At an MSNBC town hall soon after, he could not name a foreign leader he admired and said he was "having an Aleppo moment" (NBC News). His certified result was Gary Johnson (Libertarian, Independence, Independent) 4,489,341 3.28%.
- CNN
article
Johnson paused and said: "And what is Aleppo?"
- NBC News
article
"I guess I'm having an Aleppo moment," Johnson finally said
- youtube.com
video
And what is Aleppo?
Sources:
reason.com needs a second source · CNN reliable · NBC News reliable · fec.gov needs a second source
Rerun #1
Jan 2016 – Mar 2016 Bloomberg weighs an independent bid, then declines
On January 23, 2016, the Washington Post reported that former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg was considering an independent presidential bid. The Post said the New York Times first reported his deliberations and several close associates confirmed them. On March 7, 2016, AP reported that he would not run. AP said he made the decision public in an editorial on the Bloomberg View website. According to AP, he said a three-way race could leave no candidate with an electoral-vote majority, which would send the choice to the Republican-controlled House. AP said he had considered runs before the 2008 and 2012 elections. It described the decision as "ending his third and likely final flirtation with a White House run." The case fits the story's pattern of independent presidential efforts that draw national attention in an election year and end without a lasting national third-party presence.
- Yahoo News
article
That is not a risk I can take in good conscience,
- The Washington Post
article
It’s something that he’s looked at, off and on, for years, and every now and then, he polls.
Sources:
Yahoo News reliable · The Washington Post reliable
