Contrary to popular belief, other parties, often referred to as
third parties, do exist in the US; but, they typically receive
only a tiny fraction of the popular vote. In the 2008
presidential election Ralph Nadar of the Independent, Peace and
Freedom Party received 0.56% of the vote and Libertarian Party
nominee Bob Barr received 0.40% of the vote. Of the 100 seats in
the current US Senate, independents hold 2 seats: Joe Lieberman
(Connecticut) and Bernie Sanders (Vermont). In the House of
Representatives, none of the 435 seats are held by third
parties. If the election is close, third party candidates can
have a substantial impact on the results. Political activist
Ralph Nader has been an independent candidate for President of
the United States in five elections. In 2000, as the Green Party
nominee, Nader received 2,878,000 votes and was widely
criticised by liberals for taking votes from Al Gore. In 1992
businessman Ross Perot ran as an independent candidate for the
US presidency under the banner of Unite