2028 independent candidates

As of June 2026, no notable independent or third-party candidate has entered the 2028 presidential race. That is normal this early: outsider campaigns almost always launch later in the cycle - frequently in the election year itself - once the two major parties' nominees are known and a gap in the field becomes clear.

Independent and third-party runs have shaped past elections even without winning. Ross Perot took about 19% of the popular vote in 1992, one of the strongest outsider showings in modern history. Ralph Nader drew national attention in 2000, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran a high-profile independent campaign in 2024 before suspending it. None won electoral votes, but several changed the national conversation.

The hard part is structural. An independent or third-party candidate has to petition onto the ballot state by state - sometimes gathering hundreds of thousands of signatures on tight deadlines that run through the spring and summer of the election year. They must also clear polling thresholds to reach the debate stage, and the winner-take-all Electoral College makes it very difficult to convert popular votes into electoral votes.

Names get floated every cycle, but as of mid-2026 none has signaled a serious 2028 independent or third-party bid. The moment a credible candidate enters, we will list them here - with their party label and state-by-state ballot status - so you can see who is actually running outside the two major parties.