(NewsNation) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may be the highest-profile independent presidential candidate since Ross Perot in 1992, but he’s just one of several minor party and independent hopefuls who will try to make an impact in the 2024 race.
There are dozens of political parties in the U.S., many of which have qualified to put their candidates on some states’ ballots, but the Democratic and Republican parties are the only ones listed on ballots in every state and the District of Columbia.
The Libertarian Party is the largest of the “third” parties. It has long met the requirements to be on 34 state ballots. Its 2024 candidate is Chase Oliver, a Georgia resident who ran unsuccessful campaigns for the House and Senate in the past few years.
The Green Party is the next largest, having qualified in 21 states, according to the website Ballotpedia. Jill Stein, the Massachusetts physician and activist who was the party’s nominee in 2012 and 2016, is once again atop the party’s ticket.
Many Democrats blamed Stein for Hillary Clinton’s loss to Donald Trump in 2016. Stein’s votes in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin exceeded Trump’s margin of victory over Clinton. However, analysts have long said that there was no guarantee that Stein supporters would have all voted for Clinton.
Democrats voiced similar complaints against Ralph Nader in 2000, claiming his votes cost Al Gore victory over George W. Bush in Florida and, by extension, the national election.
Dozens of other parties are qualified in a handful of states, while several others exist in single states. The D.C. Statehood Party, the Working Families Party of Connecticut, the Boricua Party of Florida and the Aloha Aina Party of Hawaii are just a few examples.
While many states list just the Republican and Democratic parties, others have multiple parties. Florida has the most, with 17 political parties on its ballot. Some other states have hybrid parties that stand in for one of the majors. Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party is the most famous example.
Independent candidates have three possible avenues to appear on state ballots. They can seek the nomination of a recognized party, collect enough petition signatures (depending on each state’s ballot access law) to qualify for the general election ballot or run as a write-in candidate.
Kennedy, as an independent, is trying to navigate every state’s requirement for getting on their November ballots. His campaign says it’s officially gained ballot access in seven states and has collected enough petition signatures to qualify in nine more.
“I am very content running where I am,” Kennedy told reporters Sunday outside his home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.
“I believe I can win this election. I believe it’s a two-person race, and that I’m in the best position to win,” he added.
The Constitution Party, which says it’s qualified in 12 states, has nominated anti-abortion activist Randall Terry as its presidential candidate.
Academic and activist Cornell West has qualified in four states as an independent and is running as a write-in candidate in Indiana.
