Minor-party candidates who won more than the margin of victory, 2018-present
From Ballotpedia
Between 2018 and 2024, Ballotpedia identified a total of 298 minor-party or independent candidates within its coverage scope who received more votes than the margin of victory in their election.
Margins of victory can be used to measure electoral competitiveness or political party or candidate strength. The analyses linked on this overview page tallied the number of elections in a given year where the difference between the winning and losing candidates was smaller than the number of votes received by a minor-party candidate in the race.
Click on a year below to read a summary of that year's analysis:
2024
In 2024, 58 minor party or independent candidates received more votes than the margin of victory in their election.
The partisan affiliation of these candidates was as follows:
- 21 independent or unaffiliated
- 14 Libertarian Party candidates
- 8 Green Party candidates[1]
- 5 U.S. Taxpayer's Party candidates[2]
- 2 Working Class Party
- 1 Approval Voting Party
- 1 Common Sense Party
- 1 Constitution Party
- 1 Disrupt the Constitution Party
- 1 Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party of Vermont
- 1 Independent Party of Oregon
- 1 Natural Law Party
- 1 Unity Party of Colorado
Expand the lists of candidates below for more information or click here to read the full 2024 analysis.
U.S. House or Senate elections
| Minor party U.S. House or Senate candidates receiving more votes than the MOV, 2024 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Election | Minor party candidate | Minor party candidate affiliation | Minor party votes | Winning candidate[3] | Winning votes | Second place candidate[4] | Second place votes | Margin of victory |
| U.S. House, Colorado District 8 |  Chris Baum |
Approval Voting Party |
5,741 (1.7%) |  Gabe Evans |
163,320 (49.0%) |  Yadira Caraveo |
160,871 (48.2%) | 2,449 (0.8%) |
| U.S. House, Colorado District 8 | Susan Hall |
Unity Party of Colorado |
3,677 (1.1%) | Gabe Evans |
163,320 (49.0%) | Yadira Caraveo |
160,871 (48.2%) | 2,449 (0.8%) |
| U.S. House, North Carolina District 1 |  Tom Bailey |
Libertarian Party |
9,949 (2.6%) | Donald Davis |
186,341 (49.5%) | Laurie Buckhout |
180,034 (47.8%) | 6,307 (1.7%) |
| U.S. House, Ohio District 9 | Tom Pruss |
Libertarian Party |
15,381 (4.1%) | Marcy Kaptur |
181,098 (48.3%) | Derek Merrin |
178,716 (47.6%) | 2,382 (0.7%) |
| U.S. House, Oregon District 5 |  Brett Smith |
Independent Party of Oregon |
18,665 (4.7%) | Janelle Bynum |
191,365 (47.7%) | Lori Chavez-DeRemer |
180,420 (45.0%) | 10,945 (2.7%) |
| U.S. Senate, Michigan | Joseph Solis-Mullen |
Libertarian Party |
56,697 (1.0%) | Elissa Slotkin |
2,712,686 (48.6%) | Mike Rogers |
2,693,680 (48.3%) | 19,006 (0.3%) |
| U.S. Senate, Michigan | Douglas P. Marsh |
Green Party |
53,978 (1.0%) | Elissa Slotkin |
2,712,686 (48.6%) | Mike Rogers |
2,693,680 (48.3%) | 19,006 (0.3%) |
| U.S. Senate, Michigan | Dave Stein |
U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan |
41,363 (0.7%) | Elissa Slotkin |
2,712,686 (48.6%) | Mike Rogers |
2,693,680 (48.3%) | 19,006 (0.3%) |
| U.S. Senate, Pennsylvania | John Thomas |
Libertarian Party |
89,596 (1.3%) | David McCormick |
3,398,602 (48.8%) | Bob Casey Jr. |
3,382,293 (48.6%) | 16,309 (0.2%) |
| U.S. Senate, Pennsylvania | Leila Hazou |
Green Party |
66,317 (1.0%) | David McCormick |
3,398,602 (48.8%) | Bob Casey Jr. |
3,382,293 (48.6%) | 16,309 (0.2%) |
| U.S. Senate, Pennsylvania |  Marty Selker |
Constitution Party |
23,615 (0.3%) | David McCormick |
3,398,602 (48.8%) | Bob Casey Jr. |
3,382,293 (48.6%) | 16,309 (0.2%) |
| U.S. Senate, Wisconsin | Phillip Anderson |
Disrupt The Corruption Party |
42,315 (1.2%) | Tammy Baldwin |
1,672,777 (49.3%) | Eric Hovde |
1,643,996 (48.5%) | 28,781 (0.8%) |
State elections
Statewide elections
Non-statewide elections
Local elections
| Minor party local-level candidates receiving more votes than the MOV, 2024 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Election | Minor party candidate | Minor party candidate affiliation | Minor party votes | Winning candidate[3] | Winning votes | Second place candidate[4] | Second place votes | Margin of victory |
| North Carolina 3rd Superior Court Division Judicial District 10C | Stephanie Davis |
Unaffiliated |
9,598 (7.8%) | Sean Cole |
59,490 (48.3%) | Rebecca Waters Holt |
54,111 (43.9%) | 5,379 (4.4%) |
2023
In elections held on November 7, 2023, within Ballotpedia's coverage scope, three minor-party or independent candidates received more votes than the margin of victory in their election.
The partisan affiliation of these candidates was as follows:
- One independent candidate
- One Green Party candidate
- One Libertarian Party candidate
Expand the lists of candidates below for more information or click here to read the full 2023 analysis.
State elections
| Minor party state-level candidates receiving more votes than the MOV, 2023 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Election | Minor party candidate | Minor party candidate affiliation | Winning candidate[3] | Second place candidate[4] | Vote margin between winning and second place candidate | Minor party votes | ||
| Virginia State Senate District 27 | Monica Gary |
Independent | Tara Durant |
Joel Griffin |
1,527 | 3,219 | ||
Local elections
| Minor party local candidates receiving more votes than the MOV, 2023 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Election | Minor party candidate | Minor party candidate affiliation | Winning candidate[3] | Second place candidate[4] | Vote margin between winning and second place candidate | Minor party votes | ||
| Fort Wayne City Council (at-large) | Ethan Gaudette |
Libertarian Party | Thomas Freistroffer (Republican Party) |
Luke Fries (Republican Party) |
1,232 | 3,254 | ||
| Hartford Court of Common Council | Mary Sanders |
Green Party | John Gale (Hartford Party) |
Tiana Hercules (Working Families Party) |
4 | 393 | ||
2022
In 2022, 56 minor party or independent candidates received more votes than the margin of victory in their election.
The partisan affiliation of these candidates was as follows:
- 23 Libertarian Party candidates
- 15 independent or unaffiliated candidates
- Five Green Party candidates
- Three Constitution Party candidates
- Two U.S. Taxpayer's Party candidates[5]
- Two Working Class Party candidates
- One American Constitution Party candidate
- One Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota candidate
- One Independent American Party candidate
- One Independence Party candidate
- One Legal Marijuana Now Party candidate
- One United Utah Party candidate
Expand the lists of candidates below for more information or click here to read the full 2022 analysis.
U.S. House or Senate elections
| Minor party U.S. House or Senate candidates receiving more votes than the MOV, 2022 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Election | Minor party candidate | Minor party candidate affiliation | Minor party votes | Winning candidate[3] | Winning votes | Second place candidate[4] | Second place votes | Margin of victory |
| U.S. House, Colorado District 8 | Richard Ward |
Libertarian Party |
9,280 (3.9%) | Yadira Caraveo |
114,377 (48.4%) | Barbara Kirkmeyer |
112,745 (47.7%) | 1,632 (0.7%) |
| U.S. House, Michigan District 10 | Andrea Kirby |
Working Class Party |
5,905 (1.8%) | John James |
159,202 (48.8%) | Carl Marlinga |
157,602 (48.3%) | 1,600 (0.5%) |
| U.S. House, Michigan District 10 | Mike Saliba |
Libertarian Party |
3,524 (1.1%) | John James |
159,202 (48.8%) | Carl Marlinga |
157,602 (48.3%) | 1,600 (0.5%) |
| U.S. House, Montana District 1 | John Lamb |
Libertarian Party |
9,593 (3.9%) | Ryan Zinke |
123,102 (49.6%) | Monica Tranel |
115,265 (46.5%) | 7,837 (3.1%) |
| U.S. Senate, Nevada | Barry Lindemann |
Independent |
8,075 (0.8%) | Catherine Cortez Masto |
498,316 (48.8%) | Adam Laxalt |
490,388 (48.0%) | 7,928 (0.8%) |
State elections
Statewide
Non-statewide
Local elections
| Noteworthy minor party local candidates within Ballotpedia's coverage scope, 2022 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Election | Minor party candidate | Minor party candidate affiliation | Minor party votes | Winning candidate[3] | Winning votes | Second place candidate[4] | Second place votes | Margin of victory |
| Charleston (WV) City Council | Jerry Tucker |
Libertarian Party |
1,809 (2.8%) | Joe Solomon |
6,574 (10.2%) | Mark Sadd |
5,751 (8.9%) | 823 (1.3%) |
| Charleston (WV) City Council Ward 18 | Dana Skerbetz |
Independent |
105 (14.2%) | Pam Burka |
323 (43.6%) | Bobby Brown |
311 (42.0%) | 12 (1.6%) |
| Hamilton County (OH) Commission | Christopher Smitherman |
Independent |
68,903 (23.0%) | Stephanie Summerow Dumas |
135,349 (45.2%) | Matthew Paul O'Neill |
95,076 (31.8%) | 40,273 (13.4%) |
| Washington D.C. City Council At-large | Graham McLaughlin |
Independent |
33,402 (10.2%) | Kenyan McDuffie |
71,924 (21.9%) | Elissa Silverman |
63,471 (19.3%) | 8,453 (2.6%) |
| Washington D.C. City Council At-large | Karim Marshall |
Independent |
16,883 (5.1%) | Kenyan McDuffie |
71,924 (21.9%) | Elissa Silverman |
63,471 (19.3%) | 8,453 (2.6%) |
| Washington D.C. City Council At-large | David Schwartzman |
Green Party |
16,650 (5.1%) | Kenyan McDuffie |
71,924 (21.9%) | Elissa Silverman |
63,471 (19.3%) | 8,453 (2.6%) |
| Williamson County (TX) Judge | Wes Benedict |
Libertarian Party |
8,614 (3.9%) | Bill Gravell |
108,778 (49.3%) | Blane Conklin |
103,180 (46.8%) | 5,598 (2.5%) |
2021
In elections held on November 2, 2021, there were five minor party candidates who received more votes than the margin of victory in their election.
The partisan affiliation of these candidates was as follows:
- Two Conservative Party candidates
- One Green Party candidate
- One Libertarian Party candidate
- One Public Service Party candidate
Expand the lists of candidates below for more information or click here to read the full 2021 analysis.
State elections
| Minor party state-level candidates receiving more votes than the MOV, 2021 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Election | Minor party candidate | Minor party candidate affiliation | Winning candidate[3] | Second place candidate[4] | Vote margin between winning and second place candidate | Minor party votes | ||
| New Jersey General Assembly District 11 | Dominique Faison |
Green Party | Kim Eulner |
Joann Downey |
347 | 1,152 | ||
| Virginia House of Delegates District 91 | Charles West |
Libertarian Party | Aijalon Cordoza |
Martha Mugler |
94 | 417 | ||
Local elections
| Minor party local candidates receiving more votes than the MOV, 2021 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Election | Minor party candidate | Minor party candidate affiliation | Winning candidate[3] | Second place candidate[4] | Vote margin between winning and second place candidate | Minor party votes | ||
| Erie County sheriff | Theodore DiNoto |
Public Service Party | John Garcia (Republican Party/Back the Blue Party/Guardian Party) |
Kimberly Miller-Beaty (Democratic Party/Justice and Peace Party) |
2,588 | 13,805 | ||
| Erie County sheriff | Karen Healy-Case |
Conservative Party | John Garcia (Republican Party/Back the Blue Party/Guardian Party) |
Kimberly Miller-Beaty (Democratic Party/Justice and Peace Party) |
2,588 | 7,836 | ||
| New York City Council District 19 | John-Alexander Sakelos |
Conservative Party/Save Our City Party | Vickie Paladino (Republican Party/Independent Party) |
Tony Avella |
1,653 | 1,729 | ||
2020
In 2020, there were 77 minor party or independent candidates who received more votes than the margin of victory in their election.
The partisan affiliation of these candidates was as follows:
- 26 Libertarian Party candidates
- 20 independent or unaffiliated candidates
- Nine Green Party candidates[6]
- Six U.S. Taxpayer's Party candidates[7]
- Five Legal Marijuana Now Party candidates
- Two Natural Law Party candidates
- Two Working Class Party candidates
- One Aloha Aina Party candidate
- One Alaskan Independence Party candidate
- One Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party candidate
- One Independent Compassionate Conservative Party candidate
- One United Utah Party candidate
- One Vermont Progressive Party candidate
- One Working Families Party candidate
Expand the lists of candidates below for more information or click here to read the full 2020 analysis.
U.S. House or Senate elections
| Minor party U.S. House or Senate candidates receiving more votes than the MOV, 2020 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Election | Minor party candidate | Minor party candidate affiliation | Minor party votes | Winning candidate[3] | Winning votes | Second place candidate[4] | Second place votes | Margin of victory |
| U.S. Senate, Minnesota | Kevin O'Connor |
Legal Marijuana Now Party |
185,064 (5.77%) | Tina Smith |
1,566,522 (48.81%) | Jason Lewis |
1,398,145 (43.57%) | 168,377 (5.25%) |
| U.S. Senate, North Carolina | Shannon Bray |
Libertarian Party |
171,571 (3.13%) | Thom Tillis |
2,665,598 (48.69%) | Cal Cunningham |
2,569,965 (46.94%) | 95,633 (1.75%) |
| U.S. House, Iowa District 3 | Bryan Holder |
Libertarian Party |
15,361 (3.43%) | Cindy Axne |
219,205 (48.94%) | David Young |
212,997 (47.55%) | 6,208 (1.39%) |
| U.S. House, Minnesota District 1 | Bill Rood |
Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party |
21,448 (5.81%) | Jim Hagedorn |
179,234 (48.59%) | Dan Feehan |
167,890 (45.52%) | 11,344 (3.08%) |
| U.S. House, Minnesota District 2 | Adam Weeks |
Legal Marijuana Now Party |
24,751 (5.83%) | Angie Craig |
204,534 (48.18%) | Tyler Kistner |
194,954 (45.92%) | 9,580 (2.26%) |
| U.S. House, Texas District 24 | Darren Hamilton |
Libertarian Party |
5,647 (1,64%) | Beth Van Duyne |
167,910 (48.81%) | Candace Valenzuela |
163,326 (47.48%) | 4,584 (1.33%) |
| U.S. House, Utah District 4 | John Molnar |
Libertarian Party |
13,053 (3,46%) | Burgess Owens |
179,688 (47.70%) | Ben McAdams |
175,923 (46.70%) | 3,765 (1.00%) |
| U.S. House, Utah District 4 | Jonia Broderick |
United Utah Party |
8,037 (2.13%) | Burgess Owens |
179,688 (47.70%) | Ben McAdams |
175,923 (46.70%) | 3,765 (1.00%) |
State elections
Statewide
Non-statewide
Local elections
| Noteworthy minor party local candidates within Ballotpedia's coverage scope, 2020 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Election | Minor party candidate | Minor party candidate affiliation | Winning candidate[3] | Second place candidate[4] | ||||
| Washington, D.C. City Council at-large | Ed Lazere |
Independent |
Christina Henderson |
Vincent Orange
| ||||
| Washington, D.C. City Council at-large | Marcus Goodwin |
Independent |
Christina Henderson |
Vincent Orange
| ||||
| Washington, D.C. City Council at-large | Markus Batchelor |
Independent |
Christina Henderson |
Vincent Orange
| ||||
2018
In 2018, there were 99 minor-party or independent candidates who received more votes than the margin separating the top two finishers in their election.
The partisan affiliation of these candidates was as follows:
- 43 Libertarian Party candidates
- 30 independent or unaffiliated candidates
- Five Green Party candidates
- Four U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan candidates
- Four Vermont Progressive Party candidates
- Three Independent American Party candidates
- Three Reform Party candidates
- One Berlin-Northfield Alliance Party candidate
- One Constitution Party candidate
- One Grassroots Party candidate
- One Green Mountain Party candidate
- One Moderation Party candidate
- One Mountain Party candidate
- One United Utah Party candidate
Expand the lists of candidates below for more information or click here to read the full 2018 analysis.
Federal elections
| Noteworthy minor-party federal candidates, 2018 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Election | Minor-party candidate | Minor-party candidate affiliation | Minor-party votes | Winning candidate[3] | Winning votes | Second place candidate[4] | Second place votes | Margin of victory |
| U.S. Senate, Arizona | Angela Green |
Green Party |
57,442 (2.4%) | Kyrsten Sinema |
1,191,100 (50.0%) | Martha McSally |
1,135,200 (47.6%) | 55,900 (2.3%) |
| U.S. Senate, West Virginia | Rusty Hollen |
Libertarian Party |
24,411 (4.2%) | Joe Manchin III |
290,510 (49.6%) | Patrick Morrisey |
271,113 (46.3%) | 19,397 (3.3%) |
| U.S. House, Kansas' 2nd District | Kelly Standley |
Libertarian Party |
14,731 (5.6%) | Steve Watkins |
126,098 (47.6%) | Paul Davis |
123,859 (46.8%) | 2,239 (0.8%) |
| U.S. House, New York's 27th District |  Larry Piegza |
Reform Party |
5,973 (2.1%) | Chris Collins |
140,146 (49.1%) | Nate McMurray |
139,059 (48.8%) | 1,087 (0.4%) |
| U.S. House, Texas' 23rd District | Ruben Corvalan |
Libertarian Party |
4,425 (2.1%) | Will Hurd |
103,285 (49.2%) | Gina Ortiz Jones |
102,359 (48.7%) | 926 (0.4%) |
State elections
Statewide
Non-statewide
Local elections
| Noteworthy minor-party local candidates, 2018[8] | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Election | Minor-party candidate | Minor-party candidate affiliation | Winning candidate[3] | Second place candidate[4] | ||||
| Ada County Clerk | Graham Carter |
Independent |
Phil McGrane |
Kelly Yvonne Mitchell
| ||||
| Denton County Commissioners Court District 2 | James Felber |
Libertarian Party |
Ron Marchant |
Brandy Jones
| ||||
| Harris County Commissioners Court Judge | Eric Gatlin |
Libertarian Party |
Lina Hidalgo |
Ed Emmett
| ||||
| North Carolina 10th Judicial District | Nicolette Fulton |
Independent |
J. Brian Ratledge |
Rebecca Edwards
| ||||
See also
- Congressional Analysis Archive
- Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024
- Margin of victory
Footnotes
- ↑ This total includes one candidate from the Pacific Green Party of Oregon, which is the Green Party's Oregon affiliate.
- ↑ The U.S. Taxpayers Party is the Constitution Party's Michigan affiliate.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 In multi-seat elections, this refers to the winning candidate with the least votes.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 In multi-seat elections, this is the top-placing candidate who did not win instead.
- ↑ The U.S. Taxpayers Party is the Constitution Party's Michigan affiliate.
- ↑ This total includes one candidate from the Pacific Green Party, which is the Green Party's Oregon affiliate.
- ↑ The U.S. Taxpayers Party is the Constitution Party's Michigan affiliate.
- ↑ Coverage of local candidates in this section is limited to those races within Ballotpedia's local coverage scope.
