There have been a few presidents who thought about launching a third party while in office:
- Nixon thought about running on a conservative ticket with John Connally (before Connally simply switched to the Republican party
- One of FDR's goals in office was the formation of a liberal party, something he discussed with his 1940 opponent, Wendell Willkie, prior to Willkie's death
- Andrew Johnson thought about establishing a National Union Party as a mix of conservative Republicans and Democrats, but he wasn't able to get it off the ground in the 1866 mid-terms. This party would've been different from the "National Union Party" of 1864, which was basically just a label the Republicans adopted for one election
- Tyler's supporters formed the Democratic-Republican Party (not to be confused with Jefferson's earlier party) and re-nominated Tyler, but he later dropped out of the race and endorsed James K. Polk
Did I miss anyone?
