Kamala Harris and Donald Trump might dominate the headlines for the 5 November US presidential election, but there are many lesser-known candidates also running for the White House.
So, who are these other presidential candidates?
Actually, in every battleground state, there is at least one third-party or independent presidential candidate on the ballot.
While they may not stand a big chance to win the presidency, experts say these candidates give voters an alternative to Trump and Harris. In 2020, over 2.7 million Americans had voted for an independent or third-party candidate.
This year, the main alternatives to Trump and Harris are: Jill Stein (Green Party), Chase Oliver (Libertarian Party), Claudia de la Cruz (Party for Socialism and Liberation), Randall Terry (Constitution Party), and Cornel West (Independent).
Here’s a brief profile of these candidates.
Jill Stein (Green Party)
- Born: 14 May 1950
- From: Chicago, Illinois
- Website: https://www.jillstein2024.com/
Former physician and a pioneering environmental activist, Jill Stein lives in Lexington, Massachusetts.
She has also been the presidential candidate in 2012 and 2016 for Green Party, an independent political party connected to American social movements.
Stein graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1979, and practiced internal medicine before joining politics.
She was also a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and became an environmental health activist after noticing that many patients’ illnesses stemmed from pollution.
For American politics, Stein believes that the two-party political system is “broken”.
Her election campaign is around “pro-worker, anti-worker, and climate emergency” agenda.
She is also an outspoken critic of US foreign policy, particularly the Israel-Palestine war. She has condemned Israel’s military actions in the Gaza Strip and termed it Israel’s “genocidal rampage”.
During the 2024 election campaigning, Stein has said her goal in her third White House bid is to “reengage the rails of democracy.”
Media outlets in the US are talking about how Stein could be a “spoiler” in the election, taking votes away from Democrat candidate Harris.
“Stein is the main source of concern for Democrats…” says a report published in the New York Times, noting that the Democratic National Committee even released a TV ad against her, saying “A vote for Stein is really a vote for Trump.”
Stein is married to physician Richard Rohrer, and has two sons.
Chase Oliver (Libertarian Party)
- Born: 16 August 1985
- From: Nashville, Tennessee
- Website: https://votechaseoliver.com/
Left-leaning political activist and politician, Chase Oliver is an ex-Democrat who supported Barack Obama in the 2008 election. But after Obama continued the Iraq war, Oliver ended his support and joined the Libertarian Party in 2010.
The party defines itself as a neoclassical liberal party that supports civil liberties and non-interventionism.
The 39-year-old politician lives in Atlanta, and is said to be a champion of individual rights versus the growing power of the state.
Before entering politics, Oliver worked in the restaurant industry for 13 years, and the import shipping business for a multinational liner service.
Among his political positions, he supports a smaller government, balanced budget and free-market economy. He calls for a simplified immigration system that allows migrants to come to the US to work, and he’s against military interventions in other countries.
Oliver is aiming to have a strong enough showing to ensure easier ballot access for the Libertarian Party in future races. He told US media outlets that he is ready to assume presidency but is also realistic about his chances.
“You have to run as if you’re going to win,” he said. “Do I live in the world where that’s most likely to happen? Probably not.”
Claudia De la Cruz (Party for Socialism and Liberation)
- Born: 2 November 1981
- From: South Bronx, New York City
Website: https://votesocialist2024.com/
Socialist candidate Claudia De la Cruz is a presidential nominee for the Party for Socialism and Liberation, a communist political party formed in 2004.
De la Cruz was born to immigrant parents from the Dominican Republic. She studied forensic psychology from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and also earned master’s degrees in social work from Columbia University and in divinity from Union Theological Seminary.
She served as pastor of the New York City’s Santo Romero de Las Americas church and has said that the church became to her “social and political formation”.
About socialism, De la Cruz believes that American voters haven’t really experienced “anything even close to socialism”, which has been “made out to be a villain”. Speaking to US media outlets, De la Cruz has said her purpose to run for the president’s office is to help her party’s long game.
“We don’t think in any way, shape or form that we could win without the masses,” she said. “But in order for us to be able to have the masses, we need to do the groundwork that we’re currently doing. Nothing happens instantly.”
In her campaigns, De la Cruz has advocated to cut military budget by 90% and stop funding to support foreign wars. She believes that this can allow the US to invest trillions of dollars into healthcare, housing, infrastructure, free education, student debt relief, climate change action, and other causes.
Like Stein, she says Israel is engaged in “genocide” in Gaza.
Randall Terry (Constitution Party)
- Born: 25 April 1959
- From: Rochester, New York
- Website: https://www.terry2024.com/
Long-time anti-abortion activist Randall Terry has recently been in the news for airing graphic ads featuring aborted foetuses during his 2024 presidential campaign.
His Constitution Party is the fifth-largest political party in the US, and an ultra-conservative party, often seen as a spoiler to the Republican party. There have been instances of the Democrat Party helping Constitution Party candidates reported in US media outlets.
Terry is the son of public-school teachers, and has been married twice, with children from both marriages.
He has degrees in communications, theology and Christian Studies. He also done master’s in diplomacy and international terrorism from Norwich University, one of the oldest military schools in America. Randall’s education has included an emphasis on Islamic terrorism. He has travelled extensively throughout the Middle East and studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
He is a pro-life leader, who founded the Operation Rescue anti-abortion group.
Cornel West (Independent)
- Born: 2 June 1953
- From: Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Website: https://www.cornelwest2024.com/platform
Philosopher and activist, Cornel West is known to many as “Brother West”.
He is a former professor at Harvard and Princeton, and has written 20 books and is best known for his classics, Race Matters and Democracy Matters, and for his memoir, Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud.
On his campaign website, West describes the present time in the US as a “national crisis of moral bankruptcy and spiritual obscenity driven by a derelict duopoly of both major parties that equally places profits over people and the planet.”
He asserts that running as an independent candidate gives him the opportunity and duty to deliver policy prescriptions incorporated by and for the people.
Born in 1953 to Irene Rayshell, a teacher and school administrator, and Clifton Louis West Jr., a general contractor for the US Defence Department, West says he has been influenced by intense racial politics during his growing up years.
His 2024 campaign has focused on justice issues, including race, health, environmental politics, and human rights. His presidential run has been turbulent, jumping from party to party until settling on an independent run with the Justice for All party.
