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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
Examples of minor party in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Last week, polls conducted by The New York Times and Siena College showed that in a five-way race with minor party candidates included, Kennedy drew 8% of Trump’s supporters compared to 7% of Biden’s.
—John Aguilar, The Denver Post, 19 May 2024
Kennedy's strategy of linking with minor parties has encountered both challenges and success.
—Will McDuffie, ABC News, 5 May 2024
Several of its candidates lead in the first round, in which major and minor parties all appear on the ballot.
—Michael Kazin, Foreign Affairs, 18 Oct. 2013
How minor parties choose their presidential candidates The Libertarian Party and Green Party choose their presidential and vice-presidential nominees at their national conventions, and their primary systems vary by state.
—Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 2 Feb. 2024
Independents and voters affiliated with minor parties can’t participate in this election.
—Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 2 Feb. 2024
Twenty percent have no party preference, and the remaining 5% are scattered among minor parties.
—East Bay Times Editorial, The Mercury News, 3 Feb. 2024
This system allows voters to rank all candidates – Democratic, Republican, independent or minor party – from their favorite to least favorite on the same ballot.
—Christopher Devine, The Conversation, 10 July 2023
The deadline for all independent candidates and/or minor parties is Sept. 26 at 5 p.m. Plump, who was in his first year in office, resigned in May after pleading guilty to federal charges of wire fraud conspiracy and obstruction of justice.
—Mike Cason | McAson@al.com, al, 15 June 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'minor party.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1949, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near minor party
Cite this Entry
“Minor party.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/minor%20party. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
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
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