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This was a tough campaign cycle for Minnesota's Independence Party.


 
 
 
Its endorsed candidate for U.S. Senate lost in the August primary, and party leaders disowned the candidate who did win. Hannah Nicollet, the party's candidate for governor, couldn't raise enough money to qualify for a public subsidy.


 
 
 
On Tuesday, all four IP candidates for state constitutional offices won less than 5 percent of the vote in their races, meaning the party of Jesse Ventura will lose its major party standing in Minnesota and the automatic ballot access and public subsidies that go with it. Secretary of state candidate Bob Helland came close at 4.91 percent. Nicollet came in under 3 percent.


 
 
 
The four IP candidates running for U.S. House seats did top 5 percent in voting, but that success doesn't count in Minnesota's major party calculation.


 
 
 
Despite the setbacks, Independence Party Chairman Mark Jenkins said the party is not over and will still field candidates.


 
 
 
"We've got to do the full deep-dive analysis, and we'll do that over the next couple of weeks," Jenkins said in an interview.


 
 
 
Looking over the election results, he said it's clear that 8 to 10 percent of Minnesotans are still looking for a third-party alternative. But he said support for IP candidates was diluted this election by stronger-than-expected showings by minor-party hopefuls.


 
 
 
For example, Legal Marijuana Now candidate Dan Vacek finished third in the six-way race for attorney general.
 


 
 
"Apparently, if you put marijuana in your party's name, that gets you an instant 3 percent," said Jenkins. "So, Minnesotans are still looking for an alternative, but we didn't capture that fire this election cycle." 
 
 


 
It's a big change for the party that got Jesse Ventura elected governor in 1998 and attracted other notable candidates for the same office in the next three cycles, including former DFL U.S. Rep. Tim Penny and businessmen Peter Hutchinson and Tom Horner. IP candidates also drew significant support in past races for U.S. Senate.
 


 
 
But the party suffered this year from a lack of well-known personalities, University of Minnesota Political Scientist Larry Jacobs said.
 


 
 
"I don't think the Independence Party ever became a party. It was always an organization in formation, associated with a big name," Jacobs said. "I think once they were unable to recruit a big name they had very little to fall back on. The result is they ended up with lesser-known candidates and really not much muscle to be able to get out the vote and maintain that majority party status."
 
 


 
The Green Party of Minnesota's hopes of gaining back major-party status were also dashed Tuesday. Former DFL state Rep. Andy Dawkins finished dead last in the race for attorney general with just 1.49 percent of the vote.
 
 
 


Jenkins said the Independence Party is used to being an underdog.
 
 
 


"Granted, we're going to need to rally some signatures the next time we want to get on a ballot. But we've built this party around the issues and campaigns," he said. "There's still plenty of issues that aren't getting fair treatment from the other two parties, and we're going to continue to try to be that voice."
 


 
 
Jenkins said it's time for the party's next generation of leaders to take over. He said he expects to be replaced as state chair when his term ends next year.

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The Independence Party on Tuesday fell short of the 5 percent needed to keep major party status. Officials insist the third-party movement is not dead.

Did voters turn out the lights on Minnesota's third parties?

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