He benefited from the presence of Ross Perot, the feisty third-party candidate who spent most of his time attacking Bush.

Source: https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2023-06-04/how-democrats-won-west-reshaped-presidential-politics-california-bill-clinton

He won the general election with 45.5%, the lowest showing for any Republican presidential nominee in Utah since 1992, when George H.W. Bush won a three-way race against Bill Clinton and Ross Perot.

Source: https://www.deseret.com/2023/3/27/23652574/poll-utah-republican-party-chairs-trump-desantis-2024-election

Nonetheless, Perot failed to garner a plurality of votes in any single state, something no third party has done since 1968.

Source: https://www.chiangraitimes.com/us/trump-win-in-2024/

RFK Jr. would have the likeliest appeal to libertarians not as Trump’s VP, or a mere spite candidate like Ross Perot, but as a third-party candidate given Trump’s head will be figuratively held on the chopping block by Democrats until after the election.

Source: https://www.lewrockwell.com/2023/07/wayne-lusvardi/what-does-the-coming-movie-napoleon-signal-about-the-2024-election/

Ross Perot and Ralph Nader are two of the most notable examples of third-party candidates seen as playing deciding factors in elections.

Source: https://www.onnradio.com/2023/06/11/democratic-fears-grow-over-third-party-candidates/