third party

Third party is a term used in the United States for American political parties other than the two dominant parties, currently the Republican and Democratic parties. Sometimes the phrase "minor party" is used instead of third party.
Third parties are most often encountered in presidential nominations. No third-party candidate has won the presidency since the Republican Party became a major party in the mid-19th century. Since that time, only in five elections (1892, 1912, 1924, 1948, and 1968) has a third-party candidate carried any states.

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