Four minor party nominees in 2012 partisan statewide races carried counties. In Vermont, Cassandra Gekas, Progressive Party member-nominee for Lieutenant Governor, carried Bennington and Windham Counties. Vermont has fourteen counties. The Democratic Party had cross-endorsed Gekas, but she appeared on the ballot as “Progressive, Democrat”, indicating she considered herself a member of the Progressive Party. Vermont does not have registration by party, so the only official way a fusion candidate lets the public know the party of membership is by the order of party labels on the ballot.

In Georgia, David Staples, Libertarian nominee for Public Service Commission, carried Clayton, DeKalb, and Hancock Counties. Staples was in a two-person race with a Republican. Georgia has 159 counties.

In Montana, Mike Fellows, Libertarian nominee for Clerk of the Supreme Court, carried 27 counties: Beaverhead, Broadwater, Carter, Fallon, Fergus, Flathead, Garfield, Golden Valley, Granite, Judith Basin, Liberty, Lincoln, Madison, Meagher, Mineral, Musselshell, Petroleum, Powder River, Prairie, Ravalli, Sanders, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, Teton, Toole, Treasure, and Wibaux. Montana has 56 counties. Fellows was in a two-person race with the Democratic incumbent.

In Texas, Jaime O. Perez, Libertarian nominee for Railroad Commission, short term, carried 9 counties: Brooks, Duval, Jim Hogg, Maverick, Starr, Webb, Willacy, Zapata, and Zavala. Texas has 254 counties. Perez was one of four Libertarian statewide nominees who ran in a race with no Democrat. Ironically, of the four Libertarians in such races, Perez received the lowest statewide percentage, 18.32%. However, none of the other three Libertarians in races without a Democrat carried any counties. None of the other three had Hispanic surnames; their names were Koelsch (21.22%), Bennett (22.12%), and Strange (21.93%). Thanks to commenter #1 for the Texas part of this post.

Among the four states discussed in this post, only Texas has a straight-ticket device on the ballot.

The United States has been holding popular elections for U.S. Senate starting in 1914. In November 2012, in four states, minor party or independent candidates for U.S. Senate polled the highest percentage ever, for non-major party candidates for U.S. Senate within that state.

In Maryland, independent U.S. Senate candidate S. Rob Sobhani polled 16.38% in a four-candidate race. The previous best showing for U.S. Senate in Maryland for a non-major party candidate had been George P. Mahoney, who had polled 13.10% in 1968.

In Maine, independent U.S. Senate candidate Angus King won the election with 52.89%. The previous best showing for U.S. Senate in Maine by a non-major party candidate had been Hayes E. Gahagan, who had received 7.42% in 1978.

In Missouri, Libertarian U.S. Senate nominee Jonathan Dine received 6.07%. The previous best showing in that state had been by the Progressive Party nominee in 1914, Arthur N. Sager, who had polled 4.47%.

In Vermont, Bernie Sanders, independent incumbent, was re-elected with 71.06%, topping the record he had set for non-major party nominees for U.S. Senate in 2006, when he had polled 65.41%.

Lawsuits are pending in Alabama and Tennessee in which the state argues that having party labels on the ballot for minor party nominees is not helpful to those nominees. However, the Tennessee election returns for 2012, when compared to past election returns, dramatically show that a party label increases the vote for minor parties. This is especially true when one looks at the results for the Green Party in Tennessee.

The Green Party has had U.S. Senate nominees on the ballot in Tennessee four times in history: In 2006 and 2008, its nominees had “independent” on the ballot, and polled, respectively, .14% and .38%.

But, in 2012, the Green Party U.S. Senate nominee, Martin Pleasant, had “Green” on the ballot, and he polled 1.66%. While that was not a hugely impressive percentage, it is the largest percentage of the vote any minor party candidate for U.S. Senate in Tennessee has received since 1978. Also, in 2000, under a strange law that only affected the 2000 election, the Green Party U.S. Senate nominee was on the ballot as “Green/independent candidate” and he got 1.34%.

Similar results are apparent for the Green Party’s U.S. House candidates in Tennessee. In 2002, 2006, 2008, and 2010, the party had candidates for U.S. House on the ballot with the label “independent.” The 2002 candidate received .71%; the two 2006 candidates received .58% and .78%; the 2008 candidate received 1.16%; and the 2010 candidate got .22%. But in 2012, with the party label on the ballot, the five Greens for U.S. House received: 1.20%; 2.17%; 1.98%; 8.97% (this was a district with no Democrat on the ballot); and 1.80%.

Other minor party U.S. Senate candidates in Tennessee 1980 through 2010, all of whom had the label “independent”, never did as well as the 2012 Green nominee for U.S. Senate. The Libertarian Party has had these U.S. Senate showings in Tennessee: 1996, .23%; 2008, .39%; 2012, .90%. The Natural Law Party U.S. Senate showings have been: 1994, .15%; 1996, .33%. The Populist Party had a U.S. Senate candidate in Tennessee in 1990 who polled 1.02%.