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Who's an Independent? Part One: Independent Presidents

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Lauren MooreLauren Moore
Published: 31 Jul, 2012
1 min read

George Washington was the only president officially elected as an independent. He was never formally affiliated with any party before or during his two terms of presidency. What other Independent Presidents have there been in US history?

John Tyler, though affiliated with the Whig Party until his expulsion in september of his first year in office (1841) finished his term as an Independent President. In 1844 Tyler sought reelection as a democrat, but withdrew.

The most recent almost Independent Presidents have been John Anderson in 1980, Ron Paul in 1988, Ross Perot in 1992 and Ralph Nader in 2004 and 2008.  Ralph Nader and Joe Lieberman have recently taken up creating "independent parties" to gain a ballot entry, despite contradicting the independent motive. In some states, it is easier to create a new party than gather signatures for a petition.

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