Parties
All Active Inactive
ASC DESC
Independent
Start Year 1789 End Year still active
Active Yes Reported
Membership 		0
States Balloted 0
George Washington was the only president to remain completely non-partisan throughout his tenure, citing "national unity" as the reason for never committing to a side. He believed the party system only created division, stagnation, and revenge. However, Washington did hold similar positions as the Federalist Party, which supported a strong, consolidated central government ruled by an elite group of property owners, industrialists, and bankers that operated mostly in New England. They also held views that favored a centralized banking system and a strong merchant class. In spite of his allegiance to the Federalists, Washington never officially joined the party because of his overall feeling for national unity.

Other notable candidates to run as true, non-affiliated independents were John Anderson in 1980 and Ross Perot in 1992. Both made a notable impact on those elections, however, neither were able to win the presidency.
Federalist Party
Start Year 1789 End Year 1820
Active No Reported
Membership 		0
States Balloted 0
Founded in 1789, the Federalist Party was the first political party in the US. It favored a centralized, consolidated administration that promoted merchant and industrial interests, and a strong national banking system. The foreign policy advocated a rebuilt US Navy and neutrality in foreign wars, but sided with Britain over France in most international issues, and opposed the French Revolution.

The only Federalist president to hold office was John Adams, who strengthened the US military and negotiated neutrality during the French Revolution. He dodged conflict in the Quasi War when he built up the US Navy to oppose French vessels that were threatening American coastlines. He also signed the Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798, which gave the president wide powers to control unrest caused by outspoken French revolutionaries in the US, but were heavily criticized for suppression of free speech. A rift between Adams and the "true" Federalist Alexander Hamilton revealed a disunity in the Federalist Party, and Adams lost a close election in 1800.

After the Federalist loss to Thomas Jefferson in 1800, the party went into decline and disbanded in 1820.
Democratic-Republican Party
Start Year 1792 End Year 1825
Active No Reported
Membership 		0
States Balloted 0
The Democratic-Republican Party was formed in the early 1790s as an alternative to the centralizing forces of the Federalist Party. It supported states rights over national rights, artisans and craftsmen over bureaucratic elites, and rural values over urban ones. On foreign policy, the Democratic-Republican Party was hostile to Great Britain and favorable to France and the French Revolution. Westward expansion and the Monroe Doctrine became cornerstones of party ideology during the early 1800s, which eventually included full support for the War of 1812.

The Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren version of the Democratic-Republicans would eventually merge into the Democratic Party, still asserting the same agrarian, working class, and decentralization values. A new type of Federalist emerged when John Quincy Adams was narrowly elected in 1824, espousing a national bank, protective tariffs, and federally funded infrastructure projects. This new brand of Democratic-Republican would eventually turn into the Whig Party.
Democratic Party
Start Year 1828 End Year still active
Active Yes Reported
Membership 		44,000,000
States Balloted 50
The disintegration of the Democratic-Republicans in 1828 gave rise to the Democratic Party, which valued a decentralized economy, agrarian interests, and an expansion of voting rights for citizens. By the 1850s, southern Democrats supported slavery and northern ones chose abolition, leading to a division that nearly collapsed the party in 1860. By the early 1900s the message was very progressive, supporting a break up of monopolies, women's voting rights, and protections in the workplace.

In 1932 FDR launched the New Deal, which offered government relief programs and major public works projects, and established the Democrat platform into the next few decades. By the late 1960s the energy had faded with extreme internal opposition to the Vietnam War, and wasn't revived until the centrist Bill Clinton unified the party around economic expansion, crime prevention, and fiscal responsibility.

The new variety of the Democratic Party is centered around healthcare for all, immigrant rights, and combatting corporate interests.
Whig Party
Start Year 1833 End Year 1854
Active No Reported
Membership 		0
States Balloted 0
Politically active during the mid-1800s, the Whig Party produced four US presidents, William Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Millard Fillmore. Founded in 1933 as a bulwark against the spread of Jacksonian politics, the Whig Party was anti-expansionist and anti-authoritarian. It appealed to a wide range of social groups, including abolitionists, merchants, bankers, New England professionals, and various religious denominations.

Although the Whigs never took a formal stand on slavery, many party members were abolitionists. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 changed everything for the Whigs, and party leaders were forced to take sides on slavery, which divided and dissolved the party. They went on to become the Republican Party, headed by Abraham Lincoln.
Liberty Party
Start Year 1840 End Year 1855
Active No Reported
Membership 		0
States Balloted 0
Founded in 1840 in Albany, NY, the Liberty Party is known as the first abolitionist party in the US. Concerns had grown that political action was necessary to further their agenda after it became clear that persuasion was not strong enough. They fought for freed slave rights and promoted the abolition of slavery in new territories. The party fielded James Birney in the elections of 1840 and 1844, and although neither year produced any electoral votes, the Liberty Party managed to draw votes from other candidates and gain attention to their message.

The Liberty Party merged into the Free Soil Party in 1848, which strengthened the rising vocal support for the ban of slavery in the US.
Know Nothing Party
Start Year 1844 End Year 1860
Active No Reported
Membership 		0
States Balloted 0
The Know Nothings were founded in the mid-1800s as an anti-immigration and anti-Catholic party, riding on concerns of social change due to the rapid influx of migrants from other countries, especially Irish Catholics arriving during the Great Famine in Ireland in the 1850s. Secretive behavior was also a major characteristic in party members, who replied that they "know nothing" about their party involvement when questioned. The rise in popularity of the party underscored the growing hostility between pro- and anti-immigrant groups in the US during the mid-nineteenth century.

The Know Nothings gained control of several congressional seats in the mid-1850s but only fielded one presidential candidate, Millard Fillmore in 1856 who won just one state, Maryland. They disbanded shortly thereafter when many members became outspoken advocates of slavery, which divided the party.
Free Soil Party
Start Year 1848 End Year 1854
Active No Reported
Membership 		0
States Balloted 0
The Free Soil Party was an abolitionist party formed in 1848 from the ashes of the Liberty Party, another anti-slavery party that had recently disbanded. The Free Soilers found increasing support during the failure of the Wilmot Proviso, a proposed law that would have banned slavery in all territories acquired from Mexico. The Compromise of 1850 allowed new states to choose their own status, free or slave, which temporarily defused hostilities over how to manage the new states. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 also drew a lot of criticism because it forced northern states to return fugitives back to their original state. All of these provisions were seen as precursors to the Civil War, and strengthened support for the Free Soilers.

The party fielded a candidate for president in 1848, Martin Van Buren, who got 10% of the national vote, quite large for a third party. By 1854 the party had broken up, however, with party members merging with the Whigs into the Republican Party, as a means of gaining more influence.
Republican Party
Start Year 1854 End Year still active
Active Yes Reported
Membership 		37,000,000
States Balloted 50
The 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act nullified the Missouri Compromise of 1830 and gave settlers in new territories the right to choose their own destiny as a free or slave state. It's actual achievement, however, was to polarize the nation and plunge it towards Civil War. During this disruption, the Republican Party emerged, drawing support from former Free Soilers and disorganized Whigs. Upon the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, many southern states seceded from the Union, initiating the Civil War.

During reconstruction the Republican Party maintained its support for emancipation with the passage of laws such as the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, guaranteeing former slaves the same social status as all Americans. The Reconstruction Act of 1867 enforced these new laws through military deployment in former slave states.

By the 1900s the emphasis had shifted towards a more economic outlook, with party leaders favoring industrialization and big business as a way to improve overall prosperity. This free market approach to economics was combined with the Progressive policies of Teddy Roosevelt and William Taft, who were famously credited for busting up monopolies, passing consumer protection laws, and introducing the National Park system. By the 1920s the American Dream was born, with new technologies becoming affordable for many Americans.

The party went into decline after the Great Depression, and after a brief interlude during the Eisenhower years, weren't able to forge a comeback until the "Morning in America" of Ronald Reagan, which touted a growing economy, low inflation, and a tough on Communism foreign policy.

The Donald Trump era transformed the party into its newest iteration, emphasizing border security, job protection through tariffs, and law and order. Trump's outspoken portrayals of media moguls and bureaucrats as detached elitists also rang a note with working class Americans tired of feeling excluded.
Prohibition Party
Start Year 1869 End Year still active
Active Yes Reported
Membership 		22
States Balloted 0
The Prohibition Party was founded by members of the temperance movement, which opposed the sale and consumption of alcohol due to its unhealthy effects on society. The party grew in size until the 19th Amendment banned alcohol sales in the US, at which point members felt a lack of need for participation and left the party. After the repeal of prohibition in 1933, interest briefly increased, but today the Prohibition Party has dwindled down to only a few members.

During the height of its popularity, the Prohibition Party was generally considered progressive on economic issues and conservative on social ones, however temperance was always the main selling point for the party.
Greenback Party
Start Year 1874 End Year 1889
Active No Reported
Membership 		0
States Balloted 0
During the Civil War, the government printed millions of dollars worth of greenback bills, a non-gold backed currency that caused higher inflation, but also allowed the Union side to quickly fund the war. The other benefit from the new currency was that small businesses and farmers saw an increase in revenues from the higher prices. in 1874 the Greenback Party was formed in order to protect this new method of issuing money. They were very anti-monopoly, and also supported unions, farmers, and workplace interests.

The party fielded a presidential candidate in 1876 and another in 1880, and boasted 14 members of Congress at one point. The greenback currency faded into obscurity because of its unstable nature, but the Greenback Party merged into the People's Party in 1889, and later the Progressives of the early 1900s. The main achievement of the Greenback Party was that it brought the Progressive agenda to light in an era when regulations on industrial workplaces became a necessity.
People's Party
Start Year 1892 End Year 1909
Active No Reported
Membership 		0
States Balloted 0
An improving economy in the 1880s caused the demise of the Greenback Party, and it merged into the People's Party, also known as the Populist Party. Their agenda continued the Greenback tradition of loose money supply, but also proposed many workplace and social reforms such as a graduated income tax, federal relief for farmers and warehouse workers, and a shorter workday. Founded in Omaha, Nebraska, the People's Party was very attractive to farmers and laborers, but never gained widespread support from urban union groups.

James B. Weaver was the party nominee in 1892 and won around 8% of the national vote and carried four states, Kansas, Colorado, Idaho, and Nevada. After the 1892 election, the party went into steep decline when the William Jennings Bryan and the Democrat Party began offering many of the same positions as the People's Party, and many members switched parties in search of more influence. Eugene Debs founded the Socialist Party in 1901, which further eroded support for the People's Party.
Socialist Party of America
Start Year 1901 End Year 1972
Active No Reported
Membership 		0
States Balloted 0
The Socialist Party of America grew from an increasing need for social programs in the early 1900s, and a dissatisfaction with the two major party solutions to ongoing social and labor unrest. The Socialists favored collective ownership of transportation and communication, national insurance for working people, better education for children, and civil rights in the treatment of women and minorities.

Eugene Debs, the party leader, ran for president five times from 1900 to 1920, and won about a million votes in both 1912 and 1920, good for around 5% of the national vote each time. Maybe more impressive were the legions of Socialist mayors and local councilmen elected across America, making the party one of the largest socialist organizations in the world during this era.

The Red Scare of 1919 was a response to the rise of the Bolsheviks in Russia, post-war unrest and economic downturn in Europe, and an overall suspicion of left leaning policies. Many members of the Socialist Party switched to safer ground during this period, while other more radical factions joined the Communist Party USA.
Progressive Party
Start Year 1912 End Year 1918
Active No Reported
Membership 		0
States Balloted 0
After Teddy Roosevelt failed to secure the Republican nomination in 1912, he formed the Progressive Party, nicknamed the Bull Moose Party. Popular agenda items were social welfare reforms like a living wage and social insurance, as well as government regulation of big business and voting rights for women.

Many voters connected with the Bull Moose message, and the party gained 27% of the vote in 1912, compared with Taft's 24%, and Wilson's 42%. Clearly the result was that Roosevelt's new party only ended up stealing votes from the Republican side, and gave the presidency to the Democrats. By 1916 Roosevelt admitted his error and endorsed the Republican Charles Evans Hughes for president, thus collapsing the Progressive Party after just one candidacy.
Communist Party USA
Start Year 1919 End Year still active
Active Yes Reported
Membership 		22,000
States Balloted 0
Born out of Red Scare of 1919 and the Bolshevik Revolution, the Communist Party USA was founded by former Socialist Party members interested in revolutionary change in America. A surge in membership occurred in the 1930s with the disillusion of capitalism during the Great Depression. The CP USA found further support when the US fought fascism in World War II, and hit peak enthusiasm for the party when Roosevelt supplied the Soviet Union with weapons and equipment with the Lend-Lease Act.

However, after the war many Americans identified the Communist Party USA with Soviet Russia, and many Stalin-era atrocities were revealed which drew a negative light on the organization. US support for communism hit such a low point in 1947 that the Un-American Activity Committee started investigating CP USA members for espionage and other means of influence, and many top leaders were sent to jail. This was all unraveling during the height of the Cold War when Harry Truman was committed to fighting communists on a world wide scale. The blacklisting continued in 1954 during the McCarthy trials, when many members resigned from the party in fear of losing their place in society.

CP USA is still active today, but doesn't have anything close to the support it had during the 1930s and early 1940s. The party no longer offers a candidate for president during elections, and has instead focused on activism on non-political levels.
American Independent Party
Start Year 1967 End Year still active
Active Yes Reported
Membership 		900,000
States Balloted 1
In 1967, the American Independent Party was founded by former Governor of Alabama George Wallace and his supporters as an alternative to the two main US political parties. Wallace ran on a platform of anti-communism, strong law and order and national defense, and segregation.

Wallace got 13% of the national vote in 1968 and earned 46 electoral votes from five states. He decided to run for president as a Democrat in 1972, but his election bid was halted by an assassination attempt in May of that year. Wallace was hit by four bullets during a campaign speech in Maryland, and was paralyzed from the waist down. He withdrew his run for president because campaigning from a wheelchair was too difficult.

John G. Schmitz ran as the AIP candidate that year and got around a million votes, but took no states. The party is still active today, and has declined over the years, with many members choosing to join the Constitution Party.
Libertarian Party
Start Year 1971 End Year still active
Active Yes Reported
Membership 		700,000
States Balloted 47
The Libertarian Party was formed in 1971 on laissez-faire economics and individual liberties. From a business standpoint, Libertarians support the free market system, free trade, and a minimum of government intervention in commerce. Civil liberties also play an important role in their platform. They support the Second Amendment, fewer restrictions on drug use, same-sex marriage, and the de-criminalization of sex work. Their fiscal policy is conservative, promoting lower taxes, downsizing the government, and curtailing the national debt. Foreign policy in non-interventionist and seeks neutrality over alliance building. Immigration policy is unclear, with many in the party advocating open borders, and others wanting more restrictions.

Economically conservative but socially liberal, the Libertarians have found success at drawing support from many divergent interest groups. They have balloted a candidate in every presidential election since 1972, with strong outings in 1992, and again in 2016 when Gary Johnson took 4.5 million votes and 4% of the popular count. They boast around 700,000 members and are the third largest political party in America.
Constitution Party
Start Year 1992 End Year still active
Active Yes Reported
Membership 		150,000
States Balloted 12
The Constitution Party, a conservative organization formed in 1992, offers a direct interpretation of the US Constitution. An early tenet of their platform states that "the U.S. Constitution established a republic under God, not a democracy". Key economic elements include the phasing out of Social Security and welfare programs, replacing income tax with a tariff based revenue system, and lower government spending. Local outreach programs, the party asserts, should be covered by churches and community programs, not federal spending. The party opposes gay marriage and gay adoption, and all interpretations of marriage are based on the Bible. Abortion should be banned in most cases. They promote the criminalization of pornography, gambling, and sex work. Foreign policy is isolationist, and the party urges US withdrawal from NATO and the UN. Strict laws on immigration should be enforced by the military.

Just after its inception, the party was strong out of the gate for president, gaining 40,000 tallies in 1992 and 180,000 in 1996. The best count in their history was in 2016 when presidential contestant Darrell Castle took 180,000 votes, good for 0.2% of the total. Lately the numbers have not been the greatest, with only 40,000 votes in 2024. Nonetheless, the Constitution Party is the fifth largest political party in the US with around 150,000 registered members.
Reform Party
Start Year 1995 End Year still active
Active Yes Reported
Membership 		3,000
States Balloted 31
In 1992, Ross Perot ran for president as an unaffiliated independent. He got almost 20% of the vote, campaigning on fiscal discipline, protective tariffs, and improved education. In 1996 he founded the Reform Party to further his agenda, offering government reform, renewed tax policies, and term limits. Although eliminating waste in government and elections was popular, the Reform Party was criticized for being too centric, avoiding social issues, and relying on populism over substance.

Perot received just 8% of the vote in 1996, and totals have dwindled since then. The Reform Party today has about 3000 registered members, and some state level affiliates of the party have joined the Alliance Party.
Green Party
Start Year 2001 End Year still active
Active Yes Reported
Membership 		250,000
States Balloted 37
The Green Party of the USA was founded in 2000 when several state and local action groups joined forces to create a nationwide political party. Primarily focused on environmentalism, the party also incorporates non-violence, grass roots democracy, and social justice into their ideology. The Greens claim to reject both socialism and capitalism, and instead rely on environmental conditions to determine economic policy, mostly centered around community supply and transportation systems. Services that should be available for free or at low cost are university level education, health care, housing, and public transportation. The Green New Deal was introduced in 2006, which would convert typical power systems into clean, renewable energy by transitioning to wind and solar sources. The Green foreign policy demands a sharp decrease in military funding and a ban on arms sales to foreign countries.

The Green Party's biggest turnout for a presidential election was in 2000, gaining almost 4 million votes, and likely was responsible for George W Bush's victory that year. In 2016 the party also had a strong showing, with 1.5 million votes and 1% of the popular count. Totals have declined since then, but the Green Party is the fourth largest party in the US with around 250,000 registrants.
Alliance Party
Start Year 2018 End Year still active
Active Yes Reported
Membership 		0
States Balloted 31
In 2018 several local and statewide left-leaning and centric political parties bonded together to form the Alliance Party. Main positions include a revamping of political and electoral systems, affordable education and healthcare for all, and a simplified tax code. The party also supports a transition away from a fossil fuel economy and stricter gun control measures.

The Alliance Party got about 750,000 votes for president in 2024 in spite of the fact that their candidate, Robert Kennedy Jr, dropped out in August and endorsed Donald Trump.