A perennial candidate is one who frequently runs for public office with a record of success that is either infrequent or non-existent. Perennial candidates are often either members of "fringe" political parties or have political opinions that are not mainstream. They run not with any serious hope of gaining office, but in order to promote their views. The most persistent perennial candidate is John C. Turmel who has run in a world record 57 elections.
1 Famous Perennial Candidates
1.1 United States
Harold Stassen is probably the best known perennial candidate, at least in the United States. The one time governor of Minnesota ran for the Republican Party's nomination for President of the United States on nine occasions between 1948 and 1992. While Stassen was considered a serious candidate in 1948 and 1952, his attempts were increasingly met with derision and then amusement as the decades progressed.
Lyndon LaRouche, a fringe US political figure, holds the record for the most consecutive attempts at the US presidency. He has run in the last eight elections, beginning in 1976. He will tie Stassen's record of nine attempts if he runs again in 2008.
Pat PaulsenPat Paulsen ( 6 July, 1927- 1997) was a United States comedian and satirist notable for his roles on several of the Smothers Brothers TV shows, and for his supposed campaigns for President of the United States in 1968, 1972, 1976, 1992, and 1996, which ha, a comedian best known for his appearances on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, first ran for US President in 1968Events Undated Booker Prize for Fiction is established by Booker plc. 1968 is known as the year of the Prague Spring and also the year of the Paris riots. The ASCII character code is standardized as ANSI Standard X3. Nauru adopt his national anthem of the as both a joke and a protest. He ran again in 19721972 is a leap year starting on Saturday (click link for calendar). Events January events January 2 the Pierre Hotel Heist Six men rob the safety deposit boxes of the Pierre Hotel in New York City. Loot is at least $4 million January 5 President of the Un, and in succeeding elections until 19961996 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar), and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty''. Events January January 5 Hamas operative Yahya Ayyash is killed by an Israeli-planted booby-trapped cell phone Jan, one year prior to his death.
Norman ThomasNorman Mattoon Thomas ( November 20, 1884 December 19, 1968) was a leading American socialist, pacifist, and six-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party. The son of a Presbyterian minister, Thomas was born and raised in in Marion, Ohio, and gr was the Socialist Party's candidate for President of the United States on six occasions from 1928Centuries: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s Years: 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 See also 1928 in aviation 1928 in film 1928 in literature 1928 in mu to 1948 inclusive. Unlike other perennial candidates, Thomas had a degree of influence over American politics and many of his policies were appropriated by Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal.
Eugene Debs was a presidential candidate for the Social Democratic Party in 1900 and thereafter for the Socialist Party in four more elections until and including that of 1920. In the 1920 election, while in jail for opposing conscription, he received 913,664 votes, the most ever for a Socialist Party presidential candidate.
Ben Kerr, a street musician, has run for Mayor of Toronto seven times since 1985. He is best known for his country music performances and for advocating the medicinal benefits of drinking a concotion that has cayenne pepper as its main ingredient.
Reverend (sometimes Archbishop) Michael Baldasaro of the pro-marijuana Church of the Universe has run on numerous occasions for positions at various levels.