This article contains lists of official and potential third party and independent candidates associated with the 1996 United States presidential election.
"Third party" is a term commonly used in the United States in reference to political parties other than the two major parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. An independent candidate is one who runs for office with no formal party affiliation.
Parties with ballot access in states holding 270 or more electoral votes are listed first in this article because 270 electoral votes represent a majority of the 538 electoral votes in the Electoral College.
Ballot access to all 538 electoral votes
Reform Party nomination
Reform candidates
Ross Perot – party founder and businessman from Texas
Richard Lamm – former Governor of Colorado
David L. Boren – former Senator from and former Governor of Oklahoma (declined) Lowell P. Weicker Jr. – former Senator from and former Governor of Connecticut (declined) Tim Penny – former Representative from Minnesota (declined)
The United States Reform Party had great difficulty in finding a candidate willing to run in the general election. Lowell Weicker, Tim Penny, David Boren and Richard Lamm were among those who toyed with the notion of seeking its presidential nomination, though all but Lamm decided against it; Lamm had himself come close to withdrawing his name from consideration.
Ultimately, the Reform Party nominated its founder Ross Perot of Texas in its first election as an official political party. Although Perot easily won the nomination, his victory at the party's national convention led to a schism as supporters of Lamm accused him of rigging the vote to prevent them from casting their ballots. This faction walked out of the national convention and eventually formed their own group, the American Reform Party, and attempted to convince Lamm to run as an Independent in the general election; Lamm declined, pointing out a promise he made before running that he would respect the Party's final decision.
Economist Pat Choate was nominated for Vice President.
Libertarian Party nomination
Libertarian candidates
Harry Browne – writer and investment analyst from Tennessee
Rick Tompkins – former candidate for senator from Arizona
Irwin Schiff – writer and prominent figure in the tax protester movement from Nevada Douglas J. Ohmen – political activist from California Jeffrey Diket – political activist from Louisiana
The Libertarian Party nominated free-market writer and investment analyst, Harry Browne of Tennessee, and selected Jo Jorgensen of South Carolina as his running-mate. Browne and Jorgensen drew 485,798 votes (0.51% of the popular vote).
Ballot access to less than 538, but more than 270 electoral votes
Natural Law Party nomination
Natural Law candidate:
The Natural Law Party for a second time nominated scientist and researcher John Hagelin for president and Mike Tompkins for vice president. The party platform included preventive health care, sustainable agriculture and renewable energy technologies. During his campaigns, Hagelin favored abortion rights without public financing, campaign finance law reform, improved gun control, a flat tax, the eradication of PACs, a ban on soft money contributions, and school vouchers.
Hagelin and Tompkins drew 113,671 votes (0.12% of the popular vote).
U.S. Taxpayers' Party nomination
U.S. Taxpayers' candidates
Howard Phillips, conservative political activist from Virginia
Pat Buchanan, conservative columnist from Virginia (declined) Alan Keyes, Former Diplomat and political activist from Maryland (declined) Bob Dornan, Congressman from California (declined)
The U.S. Taxpayers Party had run its first presidential ticket in 1992, it being head by Howard Phillips who had failed to find any prominent conservative willing to take the mantle. In 1996 the situation ultimately proved the same, though Pat Buchanan for a time was widely speculated to be planning on bolting to the Taxpayers' Party should the expected Republican nominee, Senator Bob Dole, name a Pro-Choice running-mate. When Jack Kemp, who is Pro-Life, was tapped for the position Buchanan agreed to endorse the Republican ticket. Again, Phillips found himself at a temporary post that was made permanent, with Herbert Titus being nominated for the Vice Presidency.
Phillips and Titus drew 182,820 votes (0.19% of the popular vote).
Ballot access to fewer than 270, but more than 50 electoral votes
Green Party nomination
Green candidate: