minor party

noun

: a political party whose electoral strength is so small as to prevent its gaining control of a government except in rare and exceptional circumstances

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

So far, 14 people have filed paperwork to run for the seat with the Federal Election Commission — eight Democrats, five Republicans and one candidate affiliated with a minor party. —Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2023

With the support of the Greens’ 11 senators, the government only needs the backing of two unaligned or minor party senators to get the reforms through the upper chamber. —Rod Mcguirk, ajc, 27 Mar. 2023

In addition, in 19 of the 31 states that track voter registration by party, one of the two major parties is in THIRD place in party registration — behind either independent or unaffiliated or minor party. —Ben Kamisar, NBC News, 12 Dec. 2022

This was replaced after the war by two major parties and one minor party (the Free Democrats) that all operated within a democratic and pro-Western, anti-Communist consensus. —Christopher R. Browning, The New York Review of Books, 1 Dec. 2022

Although the North Carolina Greens fulfilled the deliberately cumbersome requirements for signatures supporting a minor party petition—the bulk of which were certified by election board officials—the state board refused to validate them. —Andrew Cockburn, Harper’s Magazine , 26 Oct. 2022

The assumption in political circles always has been that a major-party candidate benefits from cross endorsements by a minor party that will put a candidate’s name on more than one ballot line. —Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 9 Sep. 2022

In 2018, Lamont and Oz Griebel, a minor party candidate on the ballot, debated once without Stefanowski. —Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 17 Sep. 2022

Nine candidates in the race were undeclared or nonpartisan candidates, nine were Republicans, one was a Democrat, and three were minor party candidates. —Kyle Morris, Fox News, 17 Aug. 2022

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Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

minor party

noun

: a political party whose electoral strength is so small as to prevent its gaining control of a government except in rare and exceptional circumstances