8. Eugene V. Debs
Elections 1920
Party: Socialist
Votes / Percentage: 913,693 / 3.41%
Electoral votes / Total: 0 / 531
Running mate: Seymour Stedman
Elections 1912
Party: Socialist
Votes / Percentage: 900,742 / 5.99%
Electoral votes / Total: 0 / 531
Running mate: Emil Seidel
The perennial Socialist candidate Eugene V. Debs is on our list of most successful third party presidential candidates in history, for two out of his five presidential election performances. In 1912 elections he won 900,742 votes. In 1920, he topped that with 913,693 votes, the record for any socialist candidate in history. What is even more amazing is that he was in prison at the time of the election, having been accused of treason for opposing the military draft during the World War 1. His sentence was later commuted to time served and he was released from prison in 1921.
