Three's a crowd -- A history of third-party campaigns

Although "socialist" is a dirty slur in American politics today, the Socialist Party of America once wielded considerable clout in the United States. Eugene V. Debs, arguably the party's most visible member, ran for president five times, including once from jail.

Debs received modest support in each of his runs, topping out at 6 percent in the 1912 election.
(Library of Congress archives)
Although 'socialist' is a dirty slur in American politics today, the Socialist Party of America once wielded considerable clout in the United States. Eugene V. Debs, arguably the party's most visible member, ran for president five times, including once from jail. Debs received modest support in each of his runs, topping out at 6 percent in the 1912 election.
(By Amy Farnsworth, Linda Seid Frembes, and Jason Tuohey)