Has Anyone Other Than a Republican or Democrat Been President?

Think only Republicans or Democrats ever sat in the White House? That’s what most folks would guess, but it’s not the full story. If you look way back, presidents weren’t always locked into these two teams. The first US presidents never called themselves Republicans or Democrats—some weren't even in any party when they took office.

George Washington, the very first president, famously warned against political parties and didn’t belong to one. He didn’t even want them involved. After him, things changed fast. New parties popped up, merged, or faded into nothing. Names like Federalists, Whigs, and Democratic-Republicans were front and center long before today's big parties took over.

• Early Presidents and Political Parties
• The Rise of the Two-Party System
• Third Parties That Made an Impact
• Independent Runs: Any Success Stories?
• Barriers to Breaking the Two-Party Hold
• What Could Change in the Future?

Early Presidents and Political Parties

If you stopped most people on the street and asked about US presidents, most would probably say, "It’s always been Republican or Democrat, right?" Actually, that’s not how things started out at all.

George Washington, America’s first president, never signed up for any party. He didn’t want the country broken up into groups fighting for power. In his farewell address, he famously called out political parties as "the worst enemy" of good government:

"The spirit of party... serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration." – George Washington, 1796

After Washington, things changed fast. The first big political parties were the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans. The Federalists, like John Adams, believed in a strong central government and close ties with Britain. On the other side, Thomas Jefferson’s Democratic-Republicans wanted more power for states and were friendlier toward France.

The Federalist Party disappeared pretty quickly, and the Democratic-Republicans split up, which eventually laid the groundwork for both the modern Republicans and Democrats. Back then, though, the idea of having just two major parties fighting for control wasn’t set in stone. Parties popped up, fizzled out, and new ones formed. People today might be surprised at just how much mixing and shifting went on before the political map settled down.

If you’re thinking about how politics sometimes feels stuck, just remember, it started off way more open. The grip of two parties wasn’t always the rule.

The Rise of the Two-Party System

America didn’t always run on a political duopoly, but things started to shift after George Washington. By the 1820s, political groups had split into separate camps. The Federalists and Democratic-Republicans were the first real adversaries, arguing over everything from the size of the national government to economic policy. Eventually, both faded, but their ideas stuck around and morphed into what became the modern Republicans and Democrats.

The Whig Party popped up in the 1830s as a strong rival to the Democrats. For a couple of decades, there was genuine competition. But after the 1850s, the Whigs fell apart over the issue of slavery. Their collapse opened the door for the Republican Party, which formed in 1854 with Abraham Lincoln as its first presidently poster boy. Once Republicans started winning, no other parties came close.

By 1860, American presidential elections turned into a two-team rivalry: Democrats versus Republicans. Since then, every person elected as president has come from these camps—no one else has broken through.

So why did third parties fail to break through? It mainly came down to funding, organization, and public trust. Once the Democrats and Republicans got control of elections, everything from media attention to debate access slanted in their favor.

When you hear folks complain that "it’s always the same two choices," they’re not wrong. The US presidents list, ever since Lincoln, has been only red or blue. Unless the rules change or something major shifts, it’s tough for outsiders to even get noticed on election night.

Third Parties That Made an Impact

It might seem like third parties never shake up US politics, but some have actually made noise. While no third-party or independent candidate has won the presidency since the modern party system took hold, a few managed to mess with the status quo and even grab a chunk of the vote.

Take the Whig Party, for example. Before the Republicans or Democrats truly dominated, the Whigs produced two presidents: William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor. The party itself didn’t last, but for a while, it was a heavyweight.

Flash forward a bit, and the most famous third-party run was probably Teddy Roosevelt in 1912. He broke away from the Republicans and started the Progressive Party—folks called it the "Bull Moose Party." Roosevelt didn’t win, but he actually beat the Republican candidate, landing second with 27% of the popular vote. This is the closest a third party ever got in the modern era.

There’s also Ross Perot, who ran in 1992 as an independent, and then created the Reform Party for 1996. His 1992 campaign pulled almost 19% of the popular vote—no small feat for an outsider. His focus on the economy and the national debt made both major parties rethink their game.

Earning Electoral College votes is even harder. In 1968, George Wallace won five states running on a segregationist platform, scooping up 46 electoral votes. That's the last time a third-party candidate managed to do that well in the Electoral College.

Just remember, America’s political history includes more than just the two big brands. These third-party efforts didn’t lead to victory, but they did force big changes. That’s how new ideas get into the mix, even if the Oval Office still hasn’t had a real outsider in over 170 years.

Independent Runs: Any Success Stories?

When it comes to independent president runs, the US has a pretty short list of contenders who’ve gotten close. No independent or true third-party candidate has ever won the presidency since the two-party system got a foothold. But a few have caused a serious stir.

Probably the closest anyone got was George Wallace in 1968. He ran as an independent on the American Independent Party ticket. Wallace ended up grabbing five states in the South and 46 electoral votes—a massive haul for someone outside the big two, but still far from winning it all.

The name Ross Perot might ring a bell if you remember the 90s. In 1992, he ran as an independent and pulled in almost 19% of the popular vote. That was a record for a non-major party candidate since Teddy Roosevelt’s ‘Bull Moose’ run in 1912 (which was with the Progressive Party, not technically independent). Perot showed that people were open to alternatives, but not quite ready to make the final leap.

The closest brush in more recent times? In 2024, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made waves as an independent candidate, but he didn’t flip any states. Still, he brought in headlines and tested how much appetite there really was for someone outside the big parties.

“The barriers to independent presidential success are enormous, but their campaigns often highlight just how much discontent there is with the status quo,” commented Larry Sabato, political analyst at the University of Virginia.

Long story short: independents have come close to shaking up the system, but so far, the Oval Office has stayed out of reach. If you’re thinking about betting on an outsider in the next election, history hasn’t been on your side yet—but these runs do show that Americans sometimes crave a shakeup.

Barriers to Breaking the Two-Party Hold

The dream of seeing someone outside the two big parties—Republican or Democrat—as US president has run into some brick walls in history. The main reason comes down to how elections are set up. The US uses a 'winner-take-all' system for most races, which makes it nearly impossible for third-party hopefuls to get enough votes. Even if a smaller party grabs a chunk of support, if they don’t come first in a state, they walk away with nothing from that state’s Electoral College votes.

Money is another huge roadblock. Running for president takes a mountain of cash. Republicans and Democrats have massive fundraising machines and plenty of donors. Third parties? Not so much. Ballot access is another headache—every state has its own rules, and many make it tough or expensive for new parties to even show up on the ballot.

Check out just how rough it’s been lately for anyone besides the big two to score Electoral College votes:

Ross Perot’s run in ‘92 is wild. He scored nearly 19% of the popular vote but still ended up with zero Electoral College votes. It's like running a marathon just to trip at the finish line because the track was set up against you.

Media coverage doesn't help. News outlets usually focus on the two main parties, and third-party candidates barely get airtime. Most voters hardly know their names or platforms. The first presidential debates? They flat out keep out third-party candidates unless they meet nearly impossible polling numbers.

• Winner-take-all Electoral College locks out newcomers
• Campaign costs put huge strain on smaller parties
• Strict ballot access rules shrink options in most states
• Lack of media coverage means less exposure

So, unless these barriers shift, America probably won't see a third-party president anytime soon. But the system could change if enough folks start demanding something fairer and more open.

What Could Change in the Future?

So far, every US president for nearly 170 years has been either a Republican or Democrat. But that doesn’t mean things can’t shift. A lot of polls in recent years have shown growing frustration with both major parties. In a 2024 Gallup poll, 63% of Americans said a third party is needed because neither major party represents them well.

One possible game-changer: ranked-choice voting. This system lets voters pick candidates in order of preference, not just one. States like Maine and Alaska already use it in some elections. That means voters can honestly support a third-party or independent candidate without worrying about "wasting" their vote.

Election laws also matter. Getting on the ballot is hard for anyone not running as a Republican or Democrat. Some states demand huge numbers of signatures just to let a third-party candidate be listed. If states made it easier to get on the ballot, you’d likely see more options pop up.

As political scientist Lee Drutman says, "It’s not that Americans aren’t interested in third parties; it’s that the system is rigged to keep them out."

Here’s a quick look at some of the main roadblocks for third parties and what could help shake things up:

• Changing to ranked-choice voting nationwide
• Making ballot access rules fairer
• Getting rid of the Electoral College or at least changing how states award electoral votes
• More states allowing open primaries or nonpartisan primaries

Check out these key figures showing how tough it is for alternatives to get traction:

In spite of all the obstacles, Americans keep showing interest in something new. If the rules change and folks start voting differently, we might just see someone who isn’t a Republican or Democrat finally win the biggest office in America. That’d be a headline for the US presidents history books.