The
2016 United States presidential election was the fourth contested by the Green Party of the United States since they split from the
Greens/Green Party USA (G/GPUSA) in 2001. The
2004 presidential election saw Green nominee
David Cobb appear on ballots in 27 states plus the
District of Columbia, and received 0.10% of the popular vote, losing out to many other candidates and parties on the ballot, including third-placed independent
Ralph Nader, who had been the presidential nominee of the G/GPUSA in the 1996 and 2000 elections. In the
2008 election,
Cynthia McKinney was nominated as the Green Party's candidate for the presidency and had ballot access to 32 states plus DC. However, McKinney insignificantly improved upon Cobb's performance, capturing only 0.12% of the popular vote in an election that also saw Nader finish a strong third behind the Democratic and Republican parties. Having received minimal publicity in the previous elections, thus contributing to the low voting share that the party received, the Green Party gained significant exposure and media attention in the lead-up to the
2012 Green National Convention and the
2012 presidential election, starting with media personality
Roseanne Barr's announcement of her presidential run with the Green Party. Using the publicity gained from the announcement, Barr praised the Green Party and championed their beliefs through interviews and public statements, which were often profane and harshly critical of both the Democratic and Republican parties. Barr, however, lost the nomination at the 2012 Green National Convention to physician and activist
Jill Stein, who had gained the support of Green Party delegates through her "
Green New Deal" platform of
progressive economic policies centered on the prevention of future
financial crisises and the acceleration of
global warming.
Stein's campaign for the presidency focused mostly on keeping the publicity gained by the Green Party and gaining support from independents and dissenting Democratic and Republican voters, often echoing resentment towards the two parties. Stein's campaign also gained media attention and exposure through a series of
nonviolent protests, including those against the presidential debates, the
Keystone XL pipeline, and
foreclosures, which had Stein arrested, and even jailed, numerous times. On election day, Stein oversaw a relatively sharp rise in the Green Party's popularity, earning 0.36% of the popular vote (469,628 votes), across the Green Party's ballot access in 36 states plus DC. The result was triple the amount Cynthia McKinney received in 2008, pushing the Green Party from a lower-tier third party to the second most popular third party, trailing behind the
Libertarian Party, who had nominated the popular former
Governor of New Mexico Gary Johnson as their presidential candidate, also setting numerous Libertarian Party and presidential third party records. The election also notably made Stein the most successful
female presidential candidate in U.S. history, surpassing
Lenora Fulani's bid for the presidency in the
1988 election, with the
New Alliance Party, who had ballot access in all states plus DC and earned 217,219 votes that year. Despite her success, however, Stein's campaign was criticized by those who felt that she had failed to capitalise on her momentum and gain an even bigger success. ==Candidates==