Third-party candidates expand their influence in 2014 state executive elections

November 25, 2014

By Nick Katers

State executive elections in 2014 featured myriad close races that provided avenues for third-party, independent and write-in candidates to exert influence. A total of 209 candidates not affiliated with the two major parties were on the ballot for 225 state executive offices on November 4, 2014. Twenty-three races, or 10.2 percent of the races covered by Ballotpedia, featured third-party vote totals that exceeded the margin of victory or led to victory for third-party candidates. In the 22 decided races where third-party candidates received more votes than the margin of victory, Democrats won nine races, Republicans won 11 races and the independent gubernatorial ticket in Alaska won two seats. The Vermont governor's race was not decided at the time of publication with Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) likely to win re-election in a vote by the state legislature.

Third-party candidates were competitive in more state executive races in 2014 than 2012 or 2013. In 2012, there was only one state executive race out of five races on the ballot (20 percent) where third-party candidates exceeded the margin of victory. The 2013 state executive elections featured six races out of 94 seats up for election (6.4 percent) where third-party candidates exceeded the margin of victory.

The following sections detail five state executive races where third-party candidates influenced the outcome of the election. Election results in the sections below are current as of November 25, 2014.

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Alaska governor and lieutenant governor

See also: Alaska gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2014

Byron Mallott and Bill Walker

Alaska seemed an unlikely place for a competitive gubernatorial race through the summer of 2014, as incumbent Sean Parnell (R) faced divided opposition following the state's primary election. The state Democratic Party's September decision to endorse Republican-turned-independent Bill Walker rather than Democratic candidate Byron Mallott led to the creation of a fusion ticket with Mallott as Walker's running mate. Walker's strong poll numbers heading into the general election and combined resources from progressives in the state helped nudge the independent ticket over Parnell and running mate Dan Sullivan.

The gubernatorial race also featured strong showings from Libertarian candidate Carolyn "Care" Clift and Constitution Party candidate J.R. Myers. Walker and Mallott only defeated Parnell and Sullivan by 4,634 votes or 1.8 percent. Clift and running mate Andrew C. Lee received 8,593 votes or 3.2 percent while Myers and running mate Maria Rensel earned 6,761 votes or 2.5 percent. Walker's victory in Alaska was not decided until Parnell conceded the race on November 15, 2014.

Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Alaska, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Independent	Bill Walker/Byron Mallott	48.1%	134,658
	Republican	Sean Parnell/Dan Sullivan Incumbent	45.9%	128,435
	Libertarian	Carolyn "Care" Clift/Andrew C. Lee	3.2%	8,985
	Constitution	J.R. Myers/Maria Rensel	2.5%	6,987
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.3%	893
Total Votes				279,958
Election results via Alaska Division of Elections

Illinois treasurer

See also: Illinois down ballot state executive elections, 2014

The Illinois treasurer's race was among a handful of state executive elections in the United States that could not be decided on November 4. Incumbent Dan Rutherford ran and lost in the Republican primary for the governor's office, leaving an open seat in 2014. Republican candidate Tom Cross led Democratic candidate Mike Frerichs by 21,000 votes out of 3.4 million votes cast in the race according to a November 5 vote tally. Cross's narrow lead shrunk after absentee and provision ballots were counted the following week. The Cross campaign complained that Cook County balloting revealed instances of voter fraud and counting irregularities. Cross conceded to Frerichs on November 19, 2014, after all counties reported their results and gave Frerichs a lead of less than 10,000 votes.

Frerichs ultimately defeated Cross by 0.3 percent of the vote with a margin of only 9,300 votes. Libertarian candidate Matt Skopek earned 146,556 votes for a 4.2-percent vote share.

Illinois Treasurer, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Michael Frerichs	48.1%	1,694,884
	Republican	Tom Cross	47.8%	1,685,659
	Libertarian	Matt Skopek	4.2%	146,654
Total Votes				3,527,197
Election results via Illinois State Board of Elections

Nevada attorney general

See also: Nevada Attorney General election, 2014

Nevada experienced a Republican wave in state executive offices, with all six offices on the ballot in 2014 swinging to the GOP. Adam Paul Laxalt (R) was one of two Republicans to flip executive offices from the Democrats, defeating Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller (D) and Jonathan Hansen (I). Laxalt, the son of former governor Paul Laxalt, overcame positive poll numbers for Miller and criticisms about the influence of satellite spending on his campaign to win the election.

Laxalt's margin of victory over Miller was 4,868 votes or 0.9 percent of the total vote. Hansen, running as an Independent American Party candidate, received 30,530 votes for 5.6 percent of the total vote. Nevada voters also opted for the "None of these candidates" option on the ballot on 15,643 occasions for 2.9 percent of the total vote.

Attorney General of Nevada, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Adam Paul Laxalt	46.2%	251,379
	Democratic	Ross Miller	45.3%	246,629
	Independent American	Jonathan Hansen	5.6%	30,513
	Independent	None of these candidates	2.9%	15,629
Total Votes				544,150
Election results via Nevada Secretary of State

Rhode Island governor

See also: Rhode Island gubernatorial election, 2014

Robert Healey billboard on Interstate 95

The race to replace outgoing Governor Lincoln Chafee (D) proved closer than polls indicated only weeks prior to the election. Gina Raimondo (D) held an average lead of 5.9 percent in October polls tracked by Ballotpedia, exceeding the narrower margins of gubernatorial elections in 2006 and 2010. Allan Fung (R) clawed back into the race in part because Raimondo spent much of her campaign funding on the primary and outside groups aired TV ads supporting the Republican candidate. Raimondo ultimately defeated Fung by 4.5 percent or 14,346 votes.

The biggest surprise on November 4 may have been the strong third-place finish of Moderate Party candidate Robert Healey. Healey was projected to receive about 9 percent of the vote in polls prior to the election. With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Healey received 21.4 percent of the vote, far exceeding the margin of victory for Raimondo. His vote haul earned national attention because his campaign used hand-painted signs and only spent $35 prior to the election. Healey received 39.2 percent of the vote to place second in the 2010 lieutenant gubernatorial race, though there was only one major-party candidate on the ballot. Independents Kate Fletcher and Leon Kayarian also received 4,696 votes for 1.5 percent of the vote.

Governor of Rhode Island, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Gina Raimondo	40.7%	131,899
	Republican	Allan Fung	36.2%	117,428
	Moderate	Robert Healey	21.4%	69,278
	Independent	Kate Fletcher	1.1%	3,483
	Independent	Leon Kayarian	0.4%	1,228
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.2%	739
Total Votes				324,055
Election results via State of Rhode Island

Vermont governor

See also: Vermont gubernatorial election, 2014

Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) entered the 2014 race with a strong lead over Scott Milne (R), though limited polling in the fall showed an average of 14.5 percent of voters undecided. In Vermont, winning candidates for governor, lieutenant governor and treasurer need 50 percent of the vote to win their elections outright. The Vermont State Legislature selects an officeholder from the top three vote recipients if no candidate receives a majority of the vote. Shumlin led Milne by 1.3 percent or 2,434 votes after all votes were counted, leaving the 2014 race in the hands of state legislators. A confidential vote will be held among legislator in January 2015 to select a winner from Shumlin, Milne and Libertarian candidate Dan Feliciano.

Feliciano entered the top three by earning 4.4 percent of the vote or 8,428 votes. His candidacy received attention in the immediate aftermath of the election as his strong showing plus low turnout helped amplify his impact on the race. Republican-turned-Liberty Union Party candidate Emily Peyton also earned 1.6 percent or 3,157 votes. There were three other independent candidates who garnered a combined 4,196 votes for 2.2 percent of the vote. Shumlin is likely to win re-election in the legislature as legislators have not selected a second-place finisher for governor since 1853.

Governor of Vermont, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Peter Shumlin Incumbent	46.4%	89,509
	Republican	Scott Milne	45.1%	87,075
	Libertarian	Dan Feliciano	4.4%	8,428
	Liberty Union	Emily Peyton	1.6%	3,157
	Independent	Pete Diamondstone	0.9%	1,673
	Independent	Bernard Peters	0.7%	1,434
	Independent	Cris Ericson	0.6%	1,089
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.4%	722
Total Votes				193,087
Election results via Vermont Secretary of State

See also

• State executive official elections, 2014
• Preview of 2014's most competitive gubernatorial races
• Preview of 2014's most competitive down ballot state executive races

Footnotes

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