Abraham Lincoln — who ran as a Republican during the era of Whigs and Democrats — was America’s last third-party candidate to successfully win the presidency. Although the two-party system leaves third-party candidates little hope of being elected into office, such candidates have continued to run — and by doing so, have sometimes influenced the outcome of elections and shifted the national conversation.
Use the small arrows below to view some of the most famous third-party candidates, their words and their impact while trying to change American politics and the country from the outside in.
