Perennial candidate
Encyclopedia
A perennial candidate is one who frequently runs for public office with a record of success that is infrequent, if existent at all. Perennial candidates are often either members of minority political parties
or have political opinions that are not mainstream
. They may run without any serious hope of gaining office, but in order to promote their views or themselves instead. John C. Turmel
is, according to the Guinness Book of Records, the most persistent perennial candidate, having run and lost in a total of 72 elections.
Political Parties
Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy...
or have political opinions that are not mainstream
Mainstream
Mainstream is, generally, the common current thought of the majority. However, the mainstream is far from cohesive; rather the concept is often considered a cultural construct....
. They may run without any serious hope of gaining office, but in order to promote their views or themselves instead. John C. Turmel
John C. Turmel
John C. Turmel is a perennial candidate for election in Canada, and according to the Guinness Book of Records holds the records for the most elections contested and for the most elections lost having contested 75 elections and lost 74...
is, according to the Guinness Book of Records, the most persistent perennial candidate, having run and lost in a total of 72 elections.
Argentina
- Elisa CarrióElisa CarrióElisa María Avelina Carrió is an Argentine politician, founder of the party initially known as Alternative for a Republic of Equals , now Civic Coalition ARI ....
, founder and leader of the Civic CoalitionCivic CoalitionThe Civic Coalition is a political coalition in Argentina. It was founded by Elisa Carrió, as an association supported by the ARI party , as well as a number of other political groups and individual political leaders, notably Union for All of Patricia Bullrich and GEN - Generation for a National...
and Civic Coalition ARI parties, ran for President on three occasions (2003, 2007 and 2011). After the 2007 general electionArgentine general election, 2007Argentina held national presidential and legislative elections on October 28, 2007, and elections for provincial governors took place on staggered dates throughout the year. For the national elections, each of the 23 provinces and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires are considered electoral districts...
Carrió had announced that she would no longer run for presidency, yet she did on the 2011 electionArgentine general election, 2011Argentina held national presidential and legislative elections on 23 October 2011. Incumbent president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner secured a second term in office after the Front for Victory won just over half of the seats in the National Congress....
, after which she once again announced her retirement from presidential candidacy. Her results have dramatically varied since her first election, when she came out fifth with 14.05% of the votes: she ended second on the 2007 election with 23.0% of the votes, the most voted member of the opposition to elected candidate Cristina Fernández de KirchnerCristina Fernández de KirchnerCristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner , commonly known as Cristina Fernández or Cristina Kirchner is the 55th and current President of Argentina and the widow of former President Néstor Kirchner. She is Argentina's first elected female president, and the second female president ever to serve...
, who succeeded her husband Néstor KirchnerNéstor KirchnerNéstor Carlos Kirchner was an Argentine politician who served as the 54th President of Argentina from 25 May 2003 until 10 December 2007. Previously, he was Governor of Santa Cruz Province since 10 December 1991. He briefly served as Secretary General of the Union of South American Nations ...
; however, four years later, Carrió resulted the least-voted candidate, placing seventh with 1.84% of the total vote.
Australia
- Kim BeazleyKim BeazleyIn the October 1998 election, Labor polled a majority of the two-party vote and received the largest swing to a first-term opposition since 1934. However, due to the uneven nature of the swing, Labor came up eight seats short of making Beazley Prime Minister....
, former leader of the Australian Labor PartyAustralian Labor PartyThe Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
, ran for Prime Minister four times (1998, 2001, 2004, 2007). On the last two occasions he was defeated in a leadership contest the year before the election - he was defeated by Mark LathamMark LathamMark William Latham , an author and former Australian politician, was leader of the Federal Parliamentary Australian Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition from December 2003 to January 2005....
in a leadership battle in 2003, then defeated by future Prime Minister Kevin RuddKevin RuddKevin Michael Rudd is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2010...
in a leadership battle in 2006.
Benin
- Bruno AmoussouBruno AmoussouBruno Ange-Marie Amoussou is a Beninese politician and President of the Social Democratic Party . He was the President of the National Assembly from April 1995 to April 1999 and Minister of State in charge of Planning and Prospective Development under President Mathieu Kérékou from 1999 to 2005;...
, leader of the Social Democratic PartySocial Democratic Party (Benin)The Social Democratic Party is a political party in Benin.The PSD was founded in 1990. Running together with the National Union for Solidarity and Progress in the February 1991 parliamentary election, the PSD won 9.8% of the vote and eight out of 64 seats in the National Assembly.The PSD's first...
, ran for President four times (1991, 1996, 2001 and 2006).
Brazil
- Enéas CarneiroEnéas CarneiroEnéas Ferreira Carneiro was a Brazilian politician. He represented the state of São Paulo in the National Chamber of Deputies and ran for the presidency three times as a perennial candidate...
ran for President three times (1989, 1994, 1998). He had promised not to ever run for any other office, but decided to run for Congress in 2002, when he was elected with 1.4 million votes, the highest number of votes that a Brazilian Congressman ever received.
Canada
- Michael BaldasaroMichael BaldasaroMichael A. James Baldasaro is a political and religious figure in Hamilton, Ontario. Together, with his friend Walter Tucker, he presides over a religious sect known as the Church of the Universe...
of the pro-marijuanaCannabis (drug)Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
Church of the UniverseChurch of the UniverseThe Assembly of the Church of the Universe, an entheogen religion, was established by Walter Tucker in 1969 in the Canadian province of Ontario....
has run on numerous occasions for positions at various levels.
- Douglas CampbellDouglas Campbell (Ontario politician)Douglas Kay Campbell is a longtime political activist in Canada. A trade union activist in his youth, Campbell has spent several years in the peace movement and has run for political office on numerous occasions...
has run as a fringe candidate for federal parliament in the 1960s, the leadership of both the OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and federal New Democratic PartyNew Democratic PartyThe New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
in the 1970s and 1980s, and Mayor of North York, OntarioNorth York, OntarioNorth York is a dissolved municipality within the current city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the central part of the northern section of Toronto. As of the 2006 Census, it has a population of 635,370. The official 2001 census count was 608,288...
. He ran for Mayor of Toronto in 2000, 2003 and 2006.
- Ross DowsonRoss DowsonRoss Jewitt Dowson was a Canadian Trotskyist political figure.-Early life:Dowson joined the Trotskyist movement as a teenager during the Great Depression. The Canadian Trotskyist movement collapsed at the beginning of World War II as leaders such as Jack MacDonald, Maurice Spector and Earle Birney...
, leader of the Canadian TrotskyistTrotskyismTrotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. Trotsky considered himself an orthodox Marxist and Bolshevik-Leninist, arguing for the establishment of a vanguard party of the working-class...
group the Revolutionary Workers Party (later the League for Socialist Action) ran for Mayor of Toronto nine times in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. His best result was in 1949 when he won 20% of the vote in a two man race. He also ran twice for the Canadian House of CommonsCanadian House of CommonsThe House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
.
- Henri-Georges GrenierHenri-Georges GrenierHenri-Georges Grenier was a perennial candidate who ran unsuccessfully in thirteen federal elections and by-elections between 1945 and 1980 in Quebec, Canada, and in at least one provincial by-election...
ran 13 times for the Canadian House of CommonsCanadian House of CommonsThe House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
between 1945 and 1980 on the tickets of a variety of political parties, for each of which he was the sole candidate.
- Ben KerrBen KerrBen Kerr was a Canadian author, broadcaster, musician and perennial candidate, who was most famous as one of Toronto, Ontario's quirky street performers.-Background:...
, a street musicianBuskingStreet performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
, ran for Mayor of Toronto seven times between 1985 and his death in 2005. He was best known for his country musicCountry musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
performances and for advocating the medicinal benefits of drinking a concoction that has cayenne pepperCayenne pepperThe cayenne pepper—also known as the Guinea spice,cow-horn pepper, aleva, bird pepper,or, especially in its powdered form, red pepper—is a red, hot chili pepper used to flavor dishes and for medicinal purposes. Named for the city of Cayenne in French Guiana, it is a cultivar of Capsicum annuum...
as its main ingredient.
- Patricia MétivierPatricia MétivierPatricia Métivier is a resident of Montreal and an obscure perennial candidate in Canadian politics.-Background:Listed over the years as an accountant, a researcher or a TV announcer, she ran in at least 25 elections from 1972 to 2001. Most of the time, she would not get more than 2.5% of the vote...
contested 24 Canadian federal, provincial or municipal elections from 1972Canadian federal election, 1972The Canadian federal election of 1972 was held on October 30, 1972 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 29th Parliament of Canada. It resulted in a slim victory for the governing Liberal Party, which won 109 seats, compared to 107 seats for the opposition Progressive...
to 2001.
- David Popescu has run for federal, provincial and municipal office nine times since 1998 on an extreme anti-abortionAbortionAbortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
and anti-homosexual platform. He was charged under Canadian hate crimes legislation after advocating the executionCapital punishmentCapital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
of homosexuals in the 2008 federal electionCanadian federal election, 2008The 2008 Canadian federal election was held on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 40th Canadian Parliament after the previous parliament had been dissolved by the Governor General on September 7, 2008...
.
- Naomi RankinNaomi RankinNaomi Rankin is the current leader of the Communist Party of Alberta in Alberta, Canada.She has been leader of the Communist Party since 1992 and has run in every provincial and federal election in Alberta since 1982, for the Communist Party or the Communist Party of Canada...
ran for the Communist Party of Canada in 2008, her eighth attempt at becoming an MP. She has also ran six times for the Communist Party of Alberta, also all unsuccessful.
- John C. "The Engineer" TurmelJohn C. TurmelJohn C. Turmel is a perennial candidate for election in Canada, and according to the Guinness Book of Records holds the records for the most elections contested and for the most elections lost having contested 75 elections and lost 74...
is in the Guinness World RecordsGuinness World RecordsGuinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
for being the candidate who has "most elections contested" and lost: 73 as of March 2010.
- Harry Bradley ran for the Toronto Board of ControlToronto Board of ControlToronto Board of Control was a part of the municipal government of Toronto, Canada from 1904 until its abolition in 1969 and served as the executive committee of Toronto City Council. It consisted of four councillors elected city wide and was presided over by the mayor. Each voter could vote for up...
24 times between 1930 and 1964. He also ran for mayor in 1960 and 1962, and for city council in 1969.
Cyprus
- Kostas KyriacouKostas KyriacouKostas Kyriacou also known as "Outopos", is a farmer from Paphos, Cyprus, who studied Philosophy in Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He is divorced with 3 children...
, otherwise known as "Outopos", has been a candidate for every Presidential and Parliamentary election since 1998 but has never gained more than 1% of the vote.
Ecuador
- Álvaro NoboaÁlvaro NoboaÁlvaro Fernando Noboa Pontón is an Ecuadoran businessman and politician.Noboa has been actively involved in politics, unsuccessfully running for the office of President of Ecuador in 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2009...
, Ecuador's richest business man, has run for President four times (1998, 2002, 2006 and 2009). He was elected to the National Assembly in 2007.
France
- Arlette LaguillerArlette LaguillerArlette Yvonne Laguiller is a French Trotskyist politician. Since 1973, she has been the spokeswoman and the best known leader and perennial candidate of the Lutte Ouvrière political party...
, leader of the Workers' StruggleWorkers' StruggleLutte Ouvrière is the usual name under which the Union Communiste , a French Trotskyist political party, is known, after the name of its weekly paper. Arlette Laguiller has been its spokeswoman since 1973 and has run in each presidential election, but Robert Barcia was its founder and central...
, a FrenchFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
TrotskyistTrotskyismTrotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. Trotsky considered himself an orthodox Marxist and Bolshevik-Leninist, arguing for the establishment of a vanguard party of the working-class...
party, has been a candidate six times (1974, 1981, 1988, 1995, 2002 and 2007) in the French PresidentialPresident of the French RepublicThe President of the French Republic colloquially referred to in English as the President of France, is France's elected Head of State....
electionsElections in FranceFrance is a representative democracy. Public officials in the legislative and executive branches are either elected by the citizens or appointed by elected officials...
.
Gambia
- Sheriff Mustapha DibbaSheriff Mustapha DibbaSheriff Mustapha Dibba was a veteran Gambian politician who served as the country's National Assembly speaker from 2002 to 2006. He was also leader of the National Convention Party .-Life:...
, leader of the National Convention Party, ran for President four times (1982, 1987, 1992 and 2001). - Ousainou DarboeOusainou DarboeOusainou Darboe is a Gambian human rights lawyer and politician. He is leader of the country's main opposition party, the United Democratic Party ....
, leader of the United Democratic Party, has run for President four times (1996, 2001, 2006 and 2001).
Ghana
- Edward MahamaEdward Mahama-Early life and education:Born in the village of Sumniboma in 1945, Mahama attended Nalerigu Primary and Middle School from 1953 to 1959. He then attended Secondary School in Tamale from 1961 to 1965...
, leader of the People's National Convention, has run for President four times (1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008).
India
- Hotte Paksha RangaswamyHotte Paksha RangaswamyHotte Paksha Rangaswamy was a political leader from the Indian state of Karnataka, who had a penchant for contesting elections. He is a Guinness World Records holder for having contested the highest number of elections - he unsuccessfully did so 86 times.-Name:His name literally translates to...
was a political leader from the Indian state of KarnatakaKarnatakaKarnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, who had a penchant for contesting elections. He is a Guinness World Records holder for having contested the highest number of elections - he unsuccessfully did so 86 times.
- Kaka Joginder SinghKaka Joginder SinghKaka Joginder Singh was a textile owner who contested and lost over 300 elections in India.-Early life and career:...
(alias Dharti PakadDharti PakadDharti Pakad is the nickname of at least three persons in India who contested unsuccessfully in several elections against top political leaders.A satirical television show looking at the electoral politics was named...
meaning "one who clings to the ground", earned after several unsuccessful runs for the President of IndiaPresident of IndiaThe President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India, as well as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. President of India is also the formal head of all the three branches of Indian Democracy - Legislature, Executive and Judiciary...
.) was a textile owner who contested and lost over 300 elections in India. Although his nomination papers were usually disregarded by the election commission, he reached his high water mark during the 1992 10th Presidential elections where he earned fourth place in the polling with 1135 votes, eventually losing to Shankar Dayal SharmaShankar Dayal SharmaShankar Dayal Sharma was the ninth President of India serving from 1992 to 1997. Prior to his presidency, Dr Sharma had been the eighth Vice President of India, serving under President Ramaswamy Venkataraman...
Japan
- Mitsuo Matayoshi (alias Jesus Matayoshi), leader of the World Economic Community Party and self-proclaimed MessiahMessiahA messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
, has run in at least nine local and national elections since 1997.
- Yoshiro NakamatsuYoshiro Nakamatsu, also known as , is an eccentric Japanese inventor who has become something of a minor celebrity for his amusing inventions. He regularly appears on Japanese talk shows which, in conjunction with his appearance, usually craft a humorous segment based on one or more of his inventions.He is a...
(alias Dr. NakaMats), inventor and perennial candidate in Tokyo.
Mexico
- Nicolás Zúñiga y MirandaNicolás Zúñiga y MirandaNicolás Zúñiga y Miranda was a Mexican eccentric who was famous for being a perennial candidate in his country's presidential elections. Although he never managed to win a significant share of the votes, he considered himself to be the victor every time.Zúñiga y Miranda was born in Zacatecas into...
was a Presidential candidate ten times: 1892, 1896, 1900, 1904, 1910, 1911, 1913, 1917, 1920 and 1924 and also tried to run for a seat in the Congress of MexicoCongress of MexicoThe Congress of the Union is the legislative branch of the Mexican government...
at least twice. The eccentric Zúñiga never got more than a few votes, but always claimed to have been the victim of fraud and considered himself to be the legitimate president.
- Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas Solórzano was a Presidential candidate 3 times: 1988, 1994 and 2000.
Mozambique
- Afonso DhlakamaAfonso DhlakamaAfonso Marceta Macacho Dhlakama is a Mozambican politician and the leader of RENAMO, an anti-communist guerrilla organization that fought the FRELIMO government in the Mozambican Civil War before signing a peace agreement and becoming an opposition political party in the early 1990s.Dhlakama was...
, leader of RENAMO, has run for President four times (1994, 1999, 2004 and 2009).
Niger
- Moumouni Adamou DjermakoyeMoumouni Adamou DjermakoyeMoumouni Adamou Djermakoye was a Nigerien politician and the President of the Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Progress...
, leader of the ANDP, ran for President four times (1993, 1996, 1999 and 2004).
Poland
- Janusz Korwin-MikkeJanusz Korwin-MikkeJanusz Ryszard Korwin-Mikke is a Polish conservative liberal political commentator and politician. He is the leader of the Congress of the New Right, which was formed in 2011 from Freedom and Lawfulness, which he led from its formation in 2009, and the Real Politics Union, which he led from...
and Andrzej LepperAndrzej LepperAndrzej Zbigniew Lepper was a Polish politician who was the leader of Samoobrona RP political party....
both unsuccessfully ran for President four times (1995, 2000, 2005 and 2010). The latter, however, has enjoyed a series of successful parliamentary elections.
Russia
- Vladimir ZhirinovskyVladimir ZhirinovskyVladimir Volfovich Zhirinovsky is a Russian politician, colonel of the Russian Army, founder and the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia , Vice-Chairman of the State Duma, and a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe....
, leader of the ultra-nationalist LDPR, has unsuccessfully run for president four times (1991, 1996, 2000, 2008). - Gennady ZyuganovGennady ZyuganovGennady Andreyevich Zyuganov is a Russian politician, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation , Chairman of the Union of Communist Parties - Communist Party of the Soviet Union , deputy of the State Duma , and a member of Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe...
, leader of the Communist Party, has unsuccessfully run for president three times (1996, 2000, 2008).
Seychelles
- Philippe BoulléPhilippe BoulléPhilippe Boullé is a Seychellois lawyer and politician. In the country's first multiparty presidential election, held in July 1993, he was the candidate of a three-party coalition known as the 'United Opposition'...
has unsuccessfully run for President four times (1993, 2001, 2006 and 2011).
- Wavel RamkalawanWavel RamkalawanWavel Ramkalawan is a politician of the Seychelles.-Early life:Wavel Ramkalawan was born in Mahé, the principal island of Seychelles. He was born into a modest family, the youngest of three children. His father was a metalworker and his mother a teacher...
, leader of the Seychelles National PartySeychelles National PartyThe Seychelles National Party is a liberal political party in Seychelles. Its followers emphasize active multiparty democracy, respect for human rights and liberal economic reforms. It was founded in response to what it called the "totalitarian regime" of former President France-Albert René...
, has unsuccessfully run for President four times (1998, 2001, 2006 and 2011).
Singapore
- Ooi Boon EweOoi Boon EweOoi Boon Ewe is a Singaporean politician. He is most notable for attempting to contest various elections, general and presidential.-Politics:Ooi entered the politicial arena in the presidential elections in 1999...
has applied three times (1999, 2005 and 2011) to run for President, all unsuccessfully. He had also tried to contest in both 2006 and 2011 general elections, in which both times he failed to get nominated.
Tanzania
- Ibrahim LipumbaIbrahim LipumbaIbrahim Haruna Lipumba is a Tanzanian economist, politician and Chairman of the Civic United Front party.Although he is more known for his involvement in the political arena, Professor Lipumba, born in the Tabora region of Tanzania, and holding a doctorate in Economics from Stanford University is...
, leader of the Civic United FrontCivic United FrontThe Civic United Front is a liberal party in Tanzania. Although nationally-based, most of the CUF's support comes from the Zanzibar islands of Unguja and Pemba...
, has run for President four times (1995, 2000, 2005 and 2010).
United Kingdom
- Bill BoaksBill BoaksLieutenant Commander William George Boaks DSC was a British Royal Navy officer who became an eccentric political campaigner for road safety. He died at the age of 81 as a result of a road traffic accident...
contested general and by-elections for a period of 30 years under various descriptions, most famously "Public Safety Democratic Monarchist White Resident". Boaks's main concern was public safety on the roads and believed that pedestrians should have the right of way at all times. In the Glasgow Hillhead by-election, 1982Glasgow Hillhead by-election, 1982A Glasgow Hillhead by-election was held on 25 March 1982. The by-election was caused by the death of the Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Glasgow Hillhead Tam Galbraith on 2 January 1982....
he received only 5 votes, one of the lowest recorded in a modern British Parliamentary election. He died in 1986 from injuries sustained in a car accident two years earlier.
- Arthur HunnableArthur HunnableArthur Hunnable , often known as Captain Hunnable, was a British poet and minor fraudster, best known for his frequent but unsuccessful attempts to become a candidate for election to Parliament....
's name never appeared on a ballot paper, but he campaigned and announced that he would stand in almost every by-election from 1907 to 1909, and also in Jarrow at the 1918 general election.
- David SutchScreaming Lord SutchDavid Edward Sutch , also known as "Screaming Lord Sutch, 3rd Earl of Harrow", or simply "Screaming Lord Sutch", was a musician from the United Kingdom...
ran in 39 general electionGeneral electionIn a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
s and by-electionBy-electionA by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
s under the name Screaming Lord Sutch for the British House of CommonsBritish House of CommonsThe House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, and one election for the European ParliamentEuropean ParliamentThe European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
, never winning much more than 1,000 votes. He first ran in 1963 on the National Teenage Party ticket for the seat left vacant by the resignation of John ProfumoJohn ProfumoBrigadier John Dennis Profumo, 5th Baron Profumo CBE , informally known as Jack Profumo , was a British politician. His title, 5th Baron, which he did not use, was Italian. Although Profumo held an increasingly responsible series of political posts in the 1950s, he is best known today for his...
. He founded the infamous Official Monster Raving Loony PartyOfficial Monster Raving Loony PartyThe Official Monster Raving Loony Party is a registered political party established in the United Kingdom in 1983 by musician and politician David Sutch , better known as Screaming Lord Sutch.-History:...
in 1983 and led it until his suicide in 1999.
- Lindi St ClairLindi St ClairLindi St Clair is an author, leader of the Corrective Party, and campaigner for prostitutes' rights.Formerly Britain's most famous 20th Century prostitute but now retired and confirmed as a Christian, St Clair achieved recognition when she accused the Inland Revenue in the High Court of England...
ran in numerous elections for her "Corrective Party", on some occasions standing as "Miss Whiplash".
United States
- William Jennings BryanWilliam Jennings BryanWilliam Jennings Bryan was an American politician in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. He was a dominant force in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as its candidate for President of the United States...
was the Democratic Party nominee for president three times and unsuccessfully sought the nomination twice. - Chris BellChris Bell (politician)Robert Christopher "Chris" Bell is a Democratic Party politician. He last served as a one-term congressman in the United States House of Representatives from Texas's 25th congressional district in Houston from 2003 to 2005 before being defeated in the Democratic primary by Justice of the Peace Al...
, served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives (2003–2005). Ran unsuccessfully for Texas State Representative (1984), Mayor of Houston, TexasHouston, TexasHouston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
(2001), reelection to Congress (2004), Governor of Texas (2006), and Texas State Senate (2008). - Ted BrownTed Brown (politician)Ted Brown is a California Libertarian politician and speaker. Brown has been nicknamed "the perennial candidate" by local media, because of his constant runs for office in every election cycle for nearly thirty years. In 2008 he is again a candidate for California's 26th congressional district...
, a California LibertarianLibertarian Party (United States)The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
has run for state and federal office 14 times in the last 30 years never receiving more than 6% of the vote. - Henry ClayHenry ClayHenry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
, American politician, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senator, ran for President in 1824, 1832, 1840, 1844 and 1848. - Jacob Coxey best known for his 1894 March on Washington DC, Coxey ran 3 times for US Senate for Ohio, and twice as the People's PartyPeople's PartyThe People's Party, Peoples Party, or Popular Party, is any of several political parties claiming to speak for the people.People's Parties in various countries run the gamut from left to right...
nominee for Governor of Ohio in 1895 and 1897. Coxey also was the Mayor of Massilon, OH from 1931 to 1933 in addition to losing numerous congressional races. - John H. CoxJohn H. CoxJohn Herman Cox is an American lawyer, accountant, businessman, broadcaster, and aspiring politician. He was the first Republican to seek formally the party's 2008 nomination for president, but effectively withdrew from the race in late 2007 and suspended his campaign shortly after.-Biography:Born...
, a RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
talk radioTalk radioTalk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
host, has run for various positions in his home state of IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
including U.S. Congress, U.S. Senate, and Cook County Recorder of DeedsRecorder of deedsRecorder of deeds is a government office tasked with maintaining public records and documents, especially records relating to real estate ownership that provide persons other than the owner of a property with real rights over that property.-Background:...
, the latter in an attempt to eliminate the position; which he saw as unnecessary. Cox most recently unsuccessfully ran for the 2008 Republican nomination for President of the United StatesPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. - Jack DavisJack Davis (industrialist)John "Jack" Davis is an American industrialist and politician from Newstead, New York. He made his fourth bid for New York's 26th congressional district seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in the special election held on May 24, 2011. The election was held to fill the seat vacated by...
, founder of a heating element manufacturing company and protectionismProtectionismProtectionism is the economic policy of restraining trade between states through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, restrictive quotas, and a variety of other government regulations designed to allow "fair competition" between imports and goods and services produced domestically.This...
advocate, has unsuccessfully run for the seat representing New York's 26th congressional districtNew York's 26th congressional districtThe 26th Congressional District of New York is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in Western New York. It includes all of Genesee, Livingston, and Wyoming counties, and parts of Erie, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans counties...
four times in five elections between 2004 and 2011, three times as a Democrat and the fourth as an independent. He has not ruled out future runs for office. - Eugene V. DebsEugene V. DebsEugene Victor Debs was an American union leader, one of the founding members of the International Labor Union and the Industrial Workers of the World , and several times the candidate of the Socialist Party of America for President of the United States...
was a presidentialPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
candidate for the Social Democratic PartySocial Democratic Party (United States)The Social Democratic Party of America was a short-lived political party in the United States, established in 1898. The group was formed out of elements of the Social Democracy of America , and was a predecessor to the Socialist Party of America, established in 1901.-Forerunners:Following the...
in 1900 and thereafter for the Socialist Party in four more elections: 1904, 1908, 1912, and 1920. In the 1920 election, while in federal prison for violating the Espionage Act of 1917Espionage Act of 1917The Espionage Act of 1917 is a United States federal law passed on June 15, 1917, shortly after the U.S. entry into World War I. It has been amended numerous times over the years. It was originally found in Title 50 of the U.S. Code but is now found under Title 18, Crime...
with a speech opposing the draftConscription in the United StatesConscription in the United States has been employed several times, usually during war but also during the nominal peace of the Cold War...
, he received 913,664 votes, the most ever for a Socialist Party presidential candidate. - Earl DodgeEarl DodgeEarl Farwell Dodge, Jr. was a long-time temperance movement leader and a politician of the Prohibition Party, from the U.S. state of Colorado.-Biography:...
, a long-time activist in the temperance movementTemperance movementA temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
, was the Prohibition PartyProhibition PartyThe Prohibition Party is a political party in the United States best known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages. It is the oldest existing third party in the US. The party was an integral part of the temperance movement...
's presidential candidate in six consecutive elections, from 1984 to 2004. He was also that party's vice-presidentialVice President of the United StatesThe Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
candidate in 1976 and 1980. He ran for Governor of ColoradoGovernor of ColoradoThe Governor of Colorado is the head of the executive branch of Colorado's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Colorado General Assembly, to convene the...
on five occasions (1970, 1974, 1982, 1986, and 1994) as well. He also ran for Senator of Kansas in 1966. - Jack FellureJack FellureLowell Jackson "Jack" Fellure is an American perennial political candidate and retired engineer. He is the presidential nominee of the Prohibition Party for the 2012 presidential election.-Campaigns:...
ran for the Republican Party nomination in every presidential election from 1988 to 2012. In the 2012 campaign, he withdrew from the Republican nomination race, and become the presidential nominee of the Prohibition Party. - Edward ForchionEdward ForchionRobert Edward Forchion, born July 23, 1964, and also known as NJWEEDMAN, is a cannabis activist and a perennial candidate for various New Jersey elected offices. He is a resident of the Browns Mills section of Pemberton Township, New Jersey....
, a pro-marijuana activist also known as NJWEEDMAN, has repeatedly run for statewide and local offices in New Jersey. - Jimmy Griffin had a successful career as Mayor of Buffalo, New York from 1977 to 1993, but spent his post-mayoral career as a political gadfly: he unsuccessfully ran for Erie County executive in 1991 and 2007, President of the United States in 1996, and twice sought to win his old job as mayor of Buffalo back, in 1997 and 2002, the latter year as part of a recall petition that turned out to be illegal. He did, in his later years, win a spot on Buffalo's Common Council in 2003.
- John W. GriffinJohn W. GriffinJohn William Griffin was an Ohio farmer and a perennial candidate over the last forty years for various local, state, and federal offices in Ohio. While he lost far more political races than he won, at the time of his death he was a duly-elected member of the Ohio State Board of Education...
ran unsuccessfully for Ohio's 8th congressional district six times between 1976 to 1998, and losing the 1978 Congressional race in Ohio's 4th congressional district. Griffin did serve two separate terms on Ohio's elected State Board of Education. - John HagelinJohn HagelinJohn Samuel Hagelin is an American particle physicist, three-time candidate of the Natural Law Party for President of the United States , and the director of the Transcendental Meditation movement for the US....
, a physicistPhysicistA physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
and co-founder of the Natural Law PartyNatural Law PartyThe Natural Law Party was a transnational party based on the teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It was active in up to 74 countries, and ran candidates in at least ten. Founded in 1992, it was mostly disbanded in 2004 but continues in India and in some U.S. states.The NLP viewed "natural law" as...
, was that party's only presidential candidate in its history. Hagelin ran three times (in 1992, 1996 and 2000) before the party folded in 2004. - Gus HallGus HallGus Hall, born Arvo Kustaa Hallberg , was a leader and Chairman of the Communist Party USA and its four-time U.S. presidential candidate. As a labor leader, Hall was closely associated with the so-called "Little Steel" Strike of 1937, an effort to unionize the nation's smaller, regional steel...
, leader of the Communist Party USACommunist Party USAThe Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
, ran for Governor of Ohio in 1940 and for the presidency four times, from 1972 to 1984 inclusive. - Howie HawkinsHowie HawkinsHowie Hawkins is an American politician and activist with the Green Party of the United States and Socialist Party USA. He co-founded the anti-nuclear Clamshell Alliance in 1976 and the Green Party in the United States in 1984. He was New York's Green Party candidate for the U.S. Senate in the...
, co-founder of the Green PartyGreen Party (United States)The Green Party of the United States is a nationally recognized political party which officially formed in 1991. It is a voluntary association of state green parties. Prior to national formation, many state affiliates had already formed and were recognized by other state parties...
, has run unsuccessfully for 18 political offices and is in the process of running a nineteenth campaign. - John Jay HookerJohn Jay HookerJohn Jay Hooker, Jr. is a Nashville, Tennessee attorney, entrepreneur, perennial candidate and political gadfly.- Early life :John Jay Hooker was born to relative wealth and privilege in one of the Nashville area's more prominent families...
, a Tennessee Democrat, ran for several Tennessee offices, in later years mainly to gain standing for lawsuits against more serious candidates on the grounds of campaign finance violations. - Merrill K. RiddickMerrill K. RiddickMerrill K. Riddick was born on March 7, 1895 in Madison, Wisconsin and died on March 9, 1988, in Annapolis. He moved to eastern Montana at the age of 11. His father, Carl W. Riddick, served two terms as a U.S. Congressman for the Eastern District of Montana in 1919 and 1921. At the age of 16...
, ran for Montana governor in 1968, U.S. Congress in 1972, and was a presidential candidate in 1976, 1980, and 1984, but never won an election. - Bob Kelleher, an attorneyLawyerA lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
from MontanaMontanaMontana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, ran for Congress as a DemocratDemocratic Party (United States)The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
in 1968 and 1976, ran as a GreenGreen Party (United States)The Green Party of the United States is a nationally recognized political party which officially formed in 1991. It is a voluntary association of state green parties. Prior to national formation, many state affiliates had already formed and were recognized by other state parties...
candidate for the Montana State Senate in 2000, for the U.S. Senate in 2002 and 2006, and for Governor of Montana in 2004, and was the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2008. - Alan KeyesAlan KeyesAlan Lee Keyes is an American conservative political activist, author, former diplomat, and perennial candidate for public office. A doctoral graduate of Harvard University, Keyes began his diplomatic career in the U.S...
, has run for U.S. President in 1996, 2000, and 2008. He ran for the U.S. Senate in 1988, 1992, and, in 2004, against Barack ObamaBarack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
in Illinois. - Lyndon LaRoucheLyndon LaRoucheLyndon Hermyle LaRouche, Jr. is an American political activist and founder of a network of political committees, parties, and publications known collectively as the LaRouche movement...
, a fringe political figure, ran for president of the United States in eight elections, beginning in 1976. He ran once as a U.S. Labor PartyU.S. Labor PartyThe U.S. Labor Party was a political party formed in 1973 by the National Caucus of Labor Committees . It served as a vehicle for Lyndon LaRouche to run for President of the United States in 1976, but it also sponsored many candidates for local offices and Congressional and Senate seats between...
candidate and seven times as a DemocratDemocratic Party (United States)The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. In 1992, he campaigned while in federal prison. Many of his followers have also run for office repeatedly, including Sheila Jones and Elliott Greenspan, both of whom made eight campaigns for a variety of offices. - Andy MartinAndy Martin (U.S. politician)Anthony Robert Martin-Trigona, usually known as Andy Martin is an American perennial candidate for political office and recurrent litigant....
(also known as Anthony Martin-Trigona), a journalist and self-described consumer advocate has run for several local, state and federal offices dating back to at least 1977, including two runs for president and six runs for Senate. He has run as a DemocratDemocratic Party (United States)The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, a RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
and as an independent. - Eugene McCarthyEugene McCarthyEugene Joseph "Gene" McCarthy was an American politician, poet, and a long-time member of the United States Congress from Minnesota. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1949 to 1959 and the U.S. Senate from 1959 to 1971.In the 1968 presidential election, McCarthy was the first...
, Senator from MinnesotaMinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, though successful in multiple campaigns for the U.S. Congress, was a perennial presidential candidate. He ran for the Presidency five times, in 1968, 1972, 1976, 1988, and 1992. He tried (unsuccessfully) for the Democratic Presidential nomination in three of those years (1968, 1972, and 1992), and ran as an Independent in the other two years. - Jimmy McMillanJimmy McMillanJames "Jimmy" McMillan III is an American political activist, perennial candidate, Vietnam War veteran, and karate expert, as well as a former postal worker and private investigator from Brooklyn, New York. He is best known as the founder of the Rent Is Too Damn High Party, a New York-based...
, founder of the Rent Is Too Damn High PartyRent Is Too Damn High PartyThe Rent Is Too Damn High Party is a political party in New York that has nominated candidates for mayor of New York City in 2005 and 2009 and for governor and senator in 2010. Jimmy McMillan was the mayoral candidate both times and a candidate for governor. In 2005, he received more than 4,000...
, has run for Mayor of New York CityMayor of New York CityThe Mayor of the City of New York is head of the executive branch of New York City's government. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and enforces all city and state laws within New York City.The budget overseen by the...
in 1993, 2005, and 2009, and Governor of New YorkGovernor of New YorkThe Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the State of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...
in 1994, 2006, and 2010. He has announced a run for President in 2012. - Ralph NaderRalph NaderRalph Nader is an American political activist, as well as an author, lecturer, and attorney. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government....
, possibly the most famous perennial presidential candidate in recent U.S. history, is a consumer rights advocateConsumer protectionConsumer protection laws designed to ensure fair trade competition and the free flow of truthful information in the marketplace. The laws are designed to prevent businesses that engage in fraud or specified unfair practices from gaining an advantage over competitors and may provide additional...
, who ran for the presidency four consecutive times and was a write-in candidateWrite-in candidateA write-in candidate is a candidate in an election whose name does not appear on the ballot, but for whom voters may vote nonetheless by writing in the person's name. Some states and local jurisdictions allow a voter to affix a sticker with a write-in candidate's name on it to the ballot in lieu...
in the 1992 New Hampshire primaryNew Hampshire primaryThe New Hampshire primary is the first in a series of nationwide political party primary elections held in the United States every four years , as part of the process of choosing the Democratic and Republican nominees for the presidential elections to be held the subsequent November.Although only a...
. Nader ran twice as the nominee of the U.S. Green Party (in 1996 and 2000). In 2004 and 2008, he ran as an independentIndependent (politician)In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
. Nader's 2.7% in the 2000 election has led to controversy as to whether he spoiled the election for Al GoreAl GoreAlbert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
. - Mark NeumannMark NeumannMark W. Neumann is a businessman and politician. He represented from 1995 to 1999. In 2010, Neumann lost a bid to become the Republican nominee for Governor of Wisconsin. Neumann is currently a candidate for U.S...
, a congressman from Wisconsin, ran for Congress unsuccessfully in 1992 and 1993 before winning his first election in 1994. He won again in 1996, but was defeated in 1998 when he ran for the US Senate against Russ FeingoldRuss FeingoldRussell Dana "Russ" Feingold is an American politician from the U.S. state of Wisconsin. He served as a Democratic party member of the U.S. Senate from 1993 to 2011. From 1983 to 1993, Feingold was a Wisconsin State Senator representing the 27th District.He is a recipient of the John F...
. In 2010, Neumann ran for governor of Wisconsin, but was defeated in the Republican primary by Milwaukee County Executive Scott WalkerScott Walker (politician)Scott Kevin Walker is an American Republican politician who began serving as the 45th Governor of Wisconsin on January 3, 2011, after defeating Democratic candidate Tom Barrett, 52 percent to 47 percent in the November 2010 general election...
. Neumann is currently running for Wisconsin's open 2012 Senate seat vacated by Herb KohlHerb KohlHerbert H. "Herb" Kohl is the senior U.S. Senator from Wisconsin and a member of the Democratic Party. He is also a philanthropist and the owner of the Milwaukee Bucks National Basketball Association team...
. - Christine O'DonnellChristine O'DonnellChristine Therese O'Donnell is an American Republican Party politician who founded two advocacy organizations. She has been an advocate for nonprofit clients and nonprofit causes for nearly 20 years. A Tea Party favorite, and with strong financial support from the Tea Party movement, she defeated...
, a Republican from Delaware, ran for United States Senate in 2006 and was defeated in the Republican primary by Jan C. TingJan C. TingJan C. Ting is a Professor of Law at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the Republican candidate for U.S. Senator from Delaware in the 2006 U.S. Senate election, but two years later Ting left the Republican Party in a dispute over his endorsement of Democratic presidential...
. In 2008, O'Donnell ran again for Senate and was defeated by incumbent Democrat Joe BidenJoe BidenJoseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
(who simultaneously won the vice presidencyVice President of the United StatesThe Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
). In 2010, O'Donnell ran yet again for Senate and defeated United States Representative Mike Castle in the Republican primary; she was then defeated in the general election by Democrat Chris Coons. - Jim Oberweis, Illinois dairy magnate, unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate in 2002 and 2004, Illinois Governor in 2006, and U.S. Representative in the Illinois 14th district in 2008 in the special election to replace retiring Dennis Hastert as well as in the November election.
- Pat PaulsenPat PaulsenPatrick Layton "Pat" Paulsen was an American comedian and satirist notable for his roles on several of the Smothers Brothers TV shows, and for his campaigns for President of the United States in 1968, 1972, 1980, 1988, 1992, and 1996, which had primarily comedic rather than political objectives,...
, a comedianComedianA comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
best known for his appearances on the Smothers Brothers Comedy HourSmothers BrothersThe Smothers Brothers are Thomas and Richard , American singers, musicians, comedians and folk heroes. The brothers' trademark act was performing folk songs , which usually led to arguments between the siblings...
, first ran for President in 1968 as both a joke and a protestProtest voteA protest vote is a vote cast in an election to demonstrate the caster's unhappiness with the choice of candidates or refusal of the current political system...
. He ran again in 1972 and in succeeding elections until 1996, one year prior to his death. - Dino RossiDino RossiDino Rossi is an American commercial real estate executive, former Washington State Senator, two-time Republican candidate for Governor of Washington, and former Republican candidate for United States Senate. His first run for the Governor's mansion in the 2004 election became the closest...
, a former Washington State Senator of the Republican party, narrowly lost the 2004 election for governor to Democrat Christine GregoireChristine GregoireChristine O'Grady "Chris" Gregoire is the 22nd and current Governor of the state of Washington, and a member of the Democratic Party. Gregoire defeated Republican candidate Dino Rossi in 2004, and again in 2008. She is the second female governor of Washington...
. Rossi challenged Gregoire again in 2008 and lost. He lost a race for United States Senate in 2010 to incumbent Democrat Patty MurrayPatty MurrayPatricia Lynn "Patty" Murray is the senior United States Senator from Washington and a member of the Democratic Party. Murray was first elected to the Senate in 1992, becoming Washington's first female senator...
. - Mary RuwartMary RuwartMary J. Ruwart, Ph. D. is a research scientist and libertarian speaker, writer, and activist. She was a leading candidate for the 2008 Libertarian Party presidential nomination and is the author of the award-winning international bestseller "Healing Our World."-Biography:Born in Detroit, Ruwart...
, a member of the Libertarian PartyLibertarian Party (United States)The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
, Ruwart campaigned unsuccessfully for the party's presidentialPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
nomination in 1984 and 2008 and for the vice-presidentialVice President of the United StatesThe Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
nomination in 1992. Ruwart was the Libertarian Party of Texas's nominee for U.S. Senate in 2000 losing with only 1.16% of the popular vote. - Charles W. SandersCharles W. SandersCharles W. Sanders is an insurance agent, tour bus driver, and retired Ohio auto worker who has run as a Democrat for the U.S. House of Representatives four times in Ohio's heavily Republican Second Congressional District from 1998 to 2004, losing four times to incumbent Congressman Robert J....
the former Mayor of Waynesville, OH ran 4 unsuccessful campaigns for Ohio's 2nd Congressional district between 1998 and 2004. - Joe SchrinerJoe SchrinerJoe Schriner is an American politician and journalist. He has run as an independent candidate for President of the United States in four consecutive election cycles. He ran in 2000, 2004, 2008, and is running in 2012....
, a journalist, ran for President as an independent in 2000, 2004, and 2008. He is running again in 2012. - Al SharptonAl SharptonAlfred Charles "Al" Sharpton, Jr. is an American Baptist minister, civil rights activist, and television/radio talk show host. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. presidential election...
ran for the United States Senate from New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1988, 1992, and 1994. He also ran for Mayor of New York CityMayor of New York CityThe Mayor of the City of New York is head of the executive branch of New York City's government. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and enforces all city and state laws within New York City.The budget overseen by the...
in 1997 and for the Democratic nomination for President in 2004. - Harold StassenHarold StassenHarold Edward Stassen was the 25th Governor of Minnesota from 1939 to 1943. After service in World War II, from 1948 to 1953 he was president of the University of Pennsylvania...
is perhaps the most famous and distinguished perennial presidential candidate in U.S. history, along with Ralph Nader. A one-time Governor of MinnesotaGovernor of MinnesotaThe Governor of Minnesota is the chief executive of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty different people have been governors of the state, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. Alexander Ramsey, the first territorial...
and former President of the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of PennsylvaniaThe University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, he ran for the Republican nomination for President twelve times between 1944 and 2000. While Stassen was considered a serious candidate in 1944, 1948 and 1952, his persistent attempts were increasingly met with derision and then amusement as the decades progressed. He also ran in 10 other races for lower offices. - Norman ThomasNorman ThomasNorman Mattoon Thomas was a leading American socialist, pacifist, and six-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America.-Early years:...
was the Socialist Party's candidate for President of the United States on six occasions from 1928 to 1948 inclusive. Unlike most other perennial candidates, Thomas influenced American politics to a considerable degree with many of his policies being appropriated by President Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin D. RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
's New DealNew DealThe New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
. - Jeffrey C. Thomas a physician and former Janesville, WisconsinJanesville, WisconsinJanesville is a city in southern Wisconsin, United States. It is the county seat of Rock County and the principal municipality of the Janesville, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 62,998.-History:...
city council member, lost 4 consecutive races for Wisconsin's 1st Congressional seat between 2000 and 2008. - Don WrightDon Wright (politician)Donald Rose "Don" Wright is an American politician and former president of the Alaska Federation of Natives, serving from 1970 to 1972 during the height of activity over passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Most of his notoriety in Alaskan politics has come as a perennial candidate...
, as president of the Alaska Federation of NativesAlaska Federation of NativesThe Alaska Federation of Natives is the largest statewide Native organization in Alaska. Its membership includes 178 villages , thirteen regional native corporations, and twelve regional nonprofit and tribal consortiums that contract and run federal and state programs...
during the early 1970s, played a major role in the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement ActAlaska Native Claims Settlement ActThe Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, commonly abbreviated ANCSA, was signed into law by President Richard M. Nixon on December 23, 1971, the largest land claims settlement in United States history. ANCSA was intended to resolve the long-standing issues surrounding aboriginal land claims in...
. However, Wright is far better known as a perennial candidate, having run for statewide office in Alaska 15 times since 1968. Wright has run for governor of Alaska 11 consecutive times since 1974. Wright ran 7 of those campaigns under a major party, but lost in the primary election each time. The remaining 4 times (1978, 2002Alaska gubernatorial election, 2002The 2002 Alaska gubernatorial election took place on 5 November 2002 for the post of Governor of Alaska. Republican US Senator Frank Murkowski defeated Democratic Lieutenant Governor Fran Ulmer. Murkowski became the first Republican elected governor of Alaska since Jay Hammond in...
, 2006Alaska gubernatorial election, 2006The 2006 Alaska gubernatorial general election took place on November 7, 2006. The former mayor of Wasilla, Sarah Palin, was elected governor.-Republican primary:...
and 2010Alaska gubernatorial election, 2010The 2010 Alaska gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010. Former Governor Sarah Palin did not run, having resigned in July 2009. Incumbent Governor Sean Parnell, who as lieutenant governor succeeded Palin following her resignation, announced that he would seek a full term.Following the...
), he was the nominee of the Alaskan Independence PartyAlaskan Independence PartyThe Alaskan Independence Party is a political party in the U.S. state of Alaska that advocates an in-state referendum which includes the option of Alaska becoming an independent country...
. - Phil WymanPhil WymanPhillip D. "Phil" Wyman is an American politician from California and a member of the Republican Party.-Assembly Races:...
is a Republican from California who has run for state or federal offices since 1976. Wyman served in the California State AssemblyCalifornia State AssemblyThe California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
District 34 from 1978 to 1990. In 1992, Wyman moved from Tehachapi, in Kern County to the Los Angeles area to run from Congressional District 25 against Santa Clarita Mayor, Howard McKeonHoward McKeonHoward Philip "Buck" McKeon is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education and career:...
, Wyman lost in the primary. in 1993, Wyman moved to Lemoore, CA to run for the 16th Senate District to replace Don Rogers, beating Jim CostaJim CostaJames Manuel "Jim" Costa is the U.S. Representative for , serving since his initial election in 2004. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district takes in large and predominantly Latino portions of Fresno and Bakersfield in the Central Valley.-Early life and education:Born in Fresno,...
. In 1994, Wyman ran for re-election, and lost to Costa. Wyman, was the only Republican incumbent west of the Mississippi to lose. In 1996, Wyman moved again to run for California's 17th Senate District, losing in the primary to Pete KnightPete KnightPete Knight is the name of:* Pete Knight , World Champion Rodeo Bronc Rider and international superstar of Rodeo* William J. Knight , American test pilot, astronaut and politician nicknamed "Pete"...
. In 2000, Wyman ran for his old 34th Assembly District, and won. In 2002, Wyman ran for re-election and lost to Sharon Runner. In 2004, Wyman ran for California's 32nd Assembly District, against incumbent Kevin McCarthyKevin McCarthy-Politicians:*Kevin McCarthy , United States Representative from California's 22nd congressional district*Kevin McCarthy , member of the Iowa House of Representatives...
. in 2006, Wyman ran again, for the now open 32nd Assembly District and lost to Jean FullerJean FullerJean Fuller is a U.S. politician who serves in the California State Senate. A Republican, she was previously a member of the California Assembly and the Superintendent of Schools for the Bakersfield City School District....
. In 2010, Wyman filed papers to run for the 16th Senate District again. Wyman has run in 17 different elections for 7 different seats over the past 34 years. He has only held 3 of the seven seats, holding the 34th Assembly District seat for 14 years (7 elections), and has lost 6 of his last 8 elections, 5 of them primary loses.
Zambia
- Godfrey MiyandaGodfrey MiyandaBrigadier General Godfrey Miyanda is a Zambian politician and former military figure. In 1994 he became Vice President of Zambia under Frederick Chiluba's administration. Formerly a member of the ruling Movement for Multi-Party Democracy, Miyanda is the President of the Heritage Party.-References:...
, leader of the Heritage PartyHeritage PartyThe Heritage Party is a political party in Zambia.In the parliamentary election held on 27 December 2001, the party won 7.4% of the popular vote and 4 out of 158 seats in the unicameral National Assembly...
, has run for President four times (2001, 2006, 2008 and 2011).