Here are the major third-party and independent candidates in the presidential race–and how they might impact the showdown between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
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00:00Most of the focus this presidential election has been on Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
00:04But there are some third-party and independent candidates in the mix.
00:07Here's a rundown.
00:08According to the New York Times,
00:10independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is on the ballot in 30 states,
00:14including Wisconsin and Michigan.
00:15Kennedy has actually dropped out and endorsed former President Trump,
00:18but in many states he hasn't been able to get his name removed.
00:21That means supporters of his unorthodox positions,
00:24such as vaccine skepticism, could still be drawn away from Trump,
00:27though Kennedy had previously been thought of as a spoiler for Democrats due to his last name.
00:32The Green Party's Jill Stein is on the ballot in 37 states,
00:35including all of the swing states except Nevada.
00:38She's running a left platform foregrounding environmental issues,
00:41but is disliked by many progressives due to fear that she'll end up benefiting the right.
00:45Independent candidate Cornel West is also running from the left.
00:48He'll be on the ballot in 15 states, including Wisconsin, Michigan, and North Carolina.
00:53Finally, Libertarian Party candidate Chase Oliver will be on the ballot in 47 states,
00:57including all seven swing states.
00:59Oliver is running on a platform of extreme small government policies,
01:03including ending drone strikes and abolishing the Department of Education.
01:07Of course, to the extent that these candidates are factored into the race,
01:10voters will often be thinking about how support for them
01:12might affect the matchup between Harris and Trump.
01:14According to The Hill, the Democratic National Committee
01:17has been investing in messaging in Michigan,
01:18reminding voters that in 2016, Trump won that state by about 11,000 votes,
01:23while Jill Stein received nearly five times that many.