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Can a minor candidate still win the U.S. presidency through the Electoral College?

Ean Laffan

Oh boy, do I have a story for you! The short answer to your question is technically yes, a minor candidate could win the U.S. presidency through the Electoral College, but it would be pretty darn unlikely.

First off, let's define what we mean by a "minor candidate". Typically, this refers to someone who is not affiliated with one of the two major political parties (Democrats or Republicans) and who is not widely known or supported by the general public. So think Jill Stein of the Green Party or Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party, rather than Joe Biden or Donald Trump.

Now, onto the Electoral College. For those who need a quick refresher, the Electoral College is the system by which the U.S. president is elected. Each state is allotted a certain number of electors (based on its population) who then cast their votes for the candidate who wins the popular vote in that state. The candidate who reaches 270 electoral votes first wins the presidency.

So, in theory, a minor candidate could win the presidency if they were able to win a majority of the Electoral College votes. However, this is incredibly unlikely for a few reasons.

Firstly, as I mentioned earlier, minor candidates typically have very little support from the general public. They may have a loyal base of followers, but they don't have the name recognition, funding, or media attention that the major party candidates do. This makes it difficult for them to gain traction in the polls and win the popular vote in any given state.

Secondly, even if a minor candidate did manage to win a few states, it's unlikely that they would be able to win enough electoral votes to reach the 270 threshold. This is because the Electoral College heavily favors the major parties. There are some states (such as California and New York) that are almost guaranteed to go to the Democratic candidate, and others (such as Texas and Mississippi) that are almost guaranteed to go to the Republican candidate. This means that even if a minor candidate won a few states, they would still be at a significant disadvantage in terms of electoral math.

Finally, even if a minor candidate did manage to win enough electoral votes to become president, they would still face an uphill battle in terms of getting their agenda passed. Without the support of one of the major parties (who typically dominate Congress), it would be difficult for them to get their policies off the ground.

So there you have it. While it's technically possible for a minor candidate to win the U.S. presidency through the Electoral College, it's highly unlikely. But hey, stranger things have happened in politics, right?