At the 2012 election, independent U.S. Senators were elected from Maine and Vermont. Also in the 2012 election, no New England state elected any Republican to the U.S. Senate. This is the first time in the history of direct elections for U.S. Senate that the Republican Party did not win a single U.S. Senate election in any New England state. No Republican nominee for U.S. Senate was elected in any eastern state this year.

In the entire nation, out of 33 U.S. Senate seats, the Republican Party only won eight U.S. Senate seats. This is the lowest number of U.S. Senate seats either major party has won since 1964, when Republicans only won seven seats.

Keiko Bonk, a strong Green Party nominee for the Hawaii state house, polled 30% in a race against both a Democrat and a Republican. She placed second, well ahead of the Republican nominee. See this story.

Last year, top leaders of Americans Elect tried very hard to persuade Mitt Romney to seek the Americans Elect nomination. If Romney had done so, obviously he would have won that nomination. His campaign could then have presented him as an independent-minded centrist, and his stands on issues in this year’s presidential election would probably have been consistent with the values he expressed when he ran for U.S. Senate in 1994 and when he was elected Governor in 2002.

As the Americans Elect nominee, he would have looked courageous and innovative. Because he is so wealthy, and because he has many wealthy backers, his campaign could have been financially competitive with the two major party nominees.