Third party candidates are always quick to cite Jesse Ventura to bolster public perception of their chances. But I have found that the vast majority of people do not understand what made Ventura successful. He succeeded for two main reasons, neither of which applies to the vast majority of third party candidates:
1. Celebrity
The fact that he is a celebrity, not just his national wrestling and movie persona, but also from a fairly popular radio talk show in Minnesota prior to the election, was worth millions in advertising. He had name recognition and popularity among traditional voters and non-voters alike. That's not true of the vast majority of third party candidates. They would need a very expensive and very successful advertising campaign to gain Ventura level name recognition and likability.
2. Same day polling place voter registration.
In Minnesota, an unregistered voter can show up at a polling place on election day. If he has proof of residence in that voting precinct (like a driver's license, or utility bill in his name), or (hold on to your hats) if a registered voter will vouch for him, he can register and vote. Ventura drew a tremendous number of previously unregistered voters to the polls on election day. A lot of them were unregistered voters who did so on a whim. Without same day polling place registration, Ventura would not have won. Since very few other states have such liberal voter registration laws, most third party candidates would not have this advantage.