Third-par­ty can­di­dates who have derailed past pres­i­den­tial cam­paigns

The pres­i­den­cy is typ­i­cal­ly won by either the Demo­c­ra­t­ic Par­ty or Repub­li­can Par­ty nom­i­nee, but third-par­ty can­di­dates run­ning can some­times take away enough votes from one of those can­di­dates to be a spoil­er.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cor­nel West are both report­ed­ly caus­ing con­cern for some major par­ty cam­paigns, as third-par­ty runs may hurt major par­ty can­di­dates in a close 2024 elec­tion. Here is a look at times when third-par­ty can­di­dates have been blamed for hurt­ing the cam­paigns of major par­ty can­di­dates.
DEMOCRACY DERBY: KENTUCKY SECRETARY OF STATE TESTS MCCONNELL CANDIDATE QUALITY THEORY
1992: Ross Per­ot (Inde­pen­dent)
Then-Pres­i­dent George H.W. Bush’s 1992 reelec­tion cam­paign went down in defeat to then-Gov. Bill Clin­ton thanks in part to inde­pen­dent pres­i­den­tial can­di­date Ross Per­ot’s strong third-par­ty run in the gen­er­al elec­tion.
Per­ot ran his cam­paign on small gov­ern­ment, bal­anc­ing the bud­get, and dis­af­fec­tion regard­ing the two main polit­i­cal par­ties. The Texas bil­lion­aire is bel …