The major parties' Wasserman numbers, 1840-2020

(Electoral College winner is listed first. When there is a difference between the two major party nominees, the one with the larger Wasserman number is bolded.)

1828
Jackson: 4

1832
Jackson: 4

1836
van Buren: 4
Whigs: 4

1840
Harrison: 5
van Buren: 5

1844
Polk: 5
Clay: 5

1848
Taylor: 6
Cass: 6
van Buren: 2

1852
Pierce: 5
Scott: 5

1856
Buchanan: 7
Frémont: 4
Fillmore: 6

1860
Lincoln: 4
Douglas: 4
Breckinridge: 6
Bell: 5

1864
Lincoln: 4
McClellan: 4

1868
Grant: 6
Seymour: 6

1872
Grant: 8
Greeley: 7

1876
Hayes: 7
Tilden: 8

1880
Garfield: 7
Hancock: 8

1884
Cleveland: 8
Blaine: 8

1888
Harrison: 8
Cleveland: 8

1892
Cleveland: 8
Harrison: 7
Weaver: 7

1896
McKinley: 7
Bryan: 9

1900
McKinley: 7
Bryan: 8

1904
Theodore Roosevelt: 7
Parker: 8

1908
Taft: 7
Bryan: 8

1912
Wilson: 9
Taft: 7
Theodore Roosevelt: 7
Debs: 7

1916
Wilson: 9
Hughes: 7

1920
Harding: 8
Cox: 9

1924
Coolidge: 7
Davis: 8
La Follette: 6

1928
Hoover: 8
Smith: 8

1932
Franklin Roosevelt: 9
Hoover: 7

1936
Franklin Roosevelt: 8
Landon: 7

1940
Franklin Roosevelt: 8
Willkie: 7

1944
Franklin Roosevelt: 7
Dewey: 7

1948
Truman: 8
Dewey: 6

1952
Eisenhower: 8
Stevenson: 8

1956
Eisenhower: 7
Stevenson: 8

1960
Kennedy: 8
Nixon: 8

1964
Lyndon Johnson: 8
Goldwater: 9

1968
Nixon: 8
Humphrey: 7
Wallace: 10

1972
Nixon: 9
McGovern: 8

1976
Carter: 9
Ford: 9

1980
Reagan: 9
Carter: 10
Anderson: 8

1984
Reagan: 9
Mondale: 9

1988
Bush Sr: 9
Dukakis: 9

1992
Clinton: 9
Bush Sr: 10
Perot: 9

1996
Clinton: 9
Dole: 10
Perot: 10

2000
Bush: 10
Gore: 9

2004
Bush: 10
Kerry: 9

2008
Obama: 9
McCain: 11

2012
Obama: 9
Romney: 11

2016
Trump: 11
Hillary Clinton: 9

2020
Biden: 9
Trump: 10

Necessary Wasserman states (smallest in parentheses)

1828
Jackson (PA-28)

1832
Jackson (OH-21)

1836
van Buren (OH-21)
Whigs (OH-21)

1840
Harrison (OH-21)
van Buren (OH-21)

1844
Polk (OH-23)
Clay (OH-23)

1848
Taylor (OH-23)
Cass (IN-12)
van Buren (NY-36)

1852
Pierce (IL-11)
Scott (IN-13)

1856
Buchanan (OH-23)
Frémont (OH-23)
Fillmore (KY/TN-12)

1860
Lincoln (PA-27)
Douglas (IL-11)
Breckenridge (PA-27)
Bell (KY/TN-12)

1864
Lincoln (IL-16)
McClellan (PA-26)

1868
Grant (IL-16)
Seymour (OH-21)

1872
Grant (IL-21)
Greeley (IN/MO-15)

1876
Hayes (IA-11)
Tilden (IN/MO-15)

1880
Garfield (IL-21)
Hancock (IN-15)

1884
Cleveland (IL-22)
Blaine (OH-23)

1888
Harrison (OH-23)
Cleveland (MI/TX-13)

1892
Cleveland (OH-23)
Harrison (OH-23)
Weaver (KS-10)

1896
McKinley (OH-23)
Bryan (OH-23)

1900
McKinley (OH-23)
Bryan (IN-15)

1904
Roosevelt (OH-23)
Parker (IN-15)

1908
Taft (MI-14)
Bryan (KY-13)

[Electoral College reaches 530s in total size]

1912
Wilson (CA-13, followed by IN-15 and MO-18)
Roosevelt (CA-13, followed by MI-15)
Taft (MO-18)
Debs (CA-13, followed by OH-24)

1916
Wilson (CA-13, followed by MO-18)
Hughes (OH-24)

[19th Amendment]

1920
Harding (OH-24)
Cox (KY-13)

1924
Coolidge (OH-24)
Davis (IN-15)
La Follette (CA/WI-13)

1928
Hoover (IL-29)
Smith (IL-29)

1932
Roosevelt (CA-22)
Hoover (IL-29)

1936
Roosevelt (CA-22)
Landon (IL-29)

1940
Roosevelt (CA-22)
Willkie (IL-29)

1944
Roosevelt (CA/OH-25)
Dewey (IL-28)

1948
Truman (CA-25)
Dewey (CA/OH-25)

1952
Eisenhower (IL-27)
Stevenson (IL-27)

1956
Eisenhower (OH-25)
Stevenson (IL-27)

1960
Kennedy (CA/PA-32)
Nixon (OH-25)

1964
Johnson (CA-40)
Goldwater (IL/OH-26)

1968
Nixon (IL/OH-26)
Humphrey (MA-14)
Wallace (n/a)

1972
Nixon (IL-26)
McGovern (NY-41)

1976
Carter (FL-17)
Ford (OH-25)

1980
Reagan (FL-17)
Carter (IL-26)
Anderson (MA-14)

1984
Reagan (NJ-16)
Mondale (OH-23)

1988
HW Bush (NJ-16)
Dukakis (OH-23)

1992
Clinton (MI-18)
HW Bush (OH-21)
Perot (MI-18)

1996
Clinton (OH-21)
Dole (MI-18)
Perot (OH-21)

2000
Bush (NC-14)
Gore (FL-25)

2004
Bush (GA/NC-15)
Kerry (OH-20)

2008
Obama (IL/PA-21)
McCain (FL-27)

2012
Obama (OH-18)
Romney (FL-29)

2016
Trump (FL-29)
Hillary Clinton (FL/NY-29)

2020
Biden (FL/NY-29)
Trump (NC-15)

Select minor nominees

James Birney, 1844 (MA-12) (Wasserman #: 3) (nat'l: 2.30%) (Liberty Party)

John Hale, 1852 (MA-12) (Wasserman #: 3) (nat'l: 4.91%) (Free Soil)

James Weaver, 1880 (TX-8) (Wasserman #: 5) (nat'l: 3.35%) (Greenback)

Clinton Fisk, 1888 (OH-23) (Wasserman #: 6) (nat'l: 2.20%) (Prohibition)

Alson Streeter, 1888 (KS-9) (Wasserman #: 3) (nat'l: 1.31%) (Union Labor)

Eugene Debs, 1904 (IL-27) (Wasserman #: 6) (nat'l: 2.98%) (Socialist)

Eugene Debs, 1908 (CA-10) (Wasserman #: 7) (nat'l: 2.83%) (Socialist)

Eugene Chafin, 1908 (IL-27) (Wasserman #: 6) (nat'l: 1.71%) (Prohibition)

Eugene Debs, 1920 (NY-45) (Wasserman #: 5) (nat'l: 3.41%) (Socialist)

Norman Thomas, 1932 (PA-36) (Wasserman #: 5) (nat'l: 2.23%) (Socialist)

John Schmitz, 1972 (WA-9) (Wasserman #: 6) (nat'l: 1.42%) (American)

Benjamin Spock, 1972 (CA-45) (Wasserman #: 1) (nat'l: 0.101%) (People's)

Eugene McCarthy, 1976 (MA-14) (Wasserman #: 7) (nat'l: 0.91%) 

Bo Gritz, 1992 (UT-5) (Wasserman #: 3) (nat'l: 0.102%) (Populist)

Ralph Nader, 1996 (CA-54) (Wasserman #: 3) (nat'l: 0.71%) (Green)

Ralph Nader, 2000 (NY-33) (Wasserman #: 9) (nat'l: 2.74%) (Green)

Pat Buchanan, 2000 (MN-10) (Wasserman #: 11) (nat'l: 0.43%) (Reform)

Ralph Nader, 2004 (WA-11) (Wasserman #: 7) (nat'l: 0.38%)

Ralph Nader, 2008 (CA-55) (Wasserman #: 9) (nat'l: 0.56%)

Chuck Baldwin, 2008 (UT-5) (Wasserman #: 11) (nat'l: 0.15%) (Constitution)

Gary Johnson, 2016 (IL-20) (Wasserman #: 11) (nat'l: 3.28%) (Libertarian)

Jill Stein, 2016 (NY-29) (Wasserman #: 8) (nat'l: 1.07%) (Green)

Evan McMullin, 2016 (UT-6) (Wasserman #: 4) (nat'l: 0.54%) 

All of these nominees got at least 0.1% of the national popular vote (although, obviously, these are not all the minor candidacies that have gotten at least 0.1% of the national vote). The celebrity candidacy (if one will) of Benjamin Spock in 1972 got just barely over this threshold, but those of Roseanne Barr in 2012 (0.05%) and Kanye West in 2020 (0.04%) did not. I coloured in the Liberty and Free Soil Parties in red, as they were arguably ancestors to the modern Republican Party.

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