Donald Trump made noise in 2015 about running as an independent if he failed to clinch the Republican presidential nomination. This year, some have speculated that Nikki Haley could jump into the general election field with the gang at No Labels and mount a third party run against Trump and President Joe Biden.
So-called “sore loser laws” make such threats—if the goal is to win the presidency—highly unlikely. But if the goal is to spoil the election for others, there are more meaningful possibilities.
What are sore loser laws?
Sometimes known as “sour grapes” laws, sore loser restrictions keep failed primary election candidates, for local, state, and federal offices, from appearing on general election ballots—either as independents or with another party. Their rationale is that candidates should only get one shot per election cycle at a political office, meaning that if they take it and miss during the primary season they have to wait for another cycle.
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