50.5%

It's easy to assume voters are locked into their partisan corners — but our new polling says otherwise. When we asked voters why they'd consider an Independent candidate, the single biggest reason wasn't protest or fatigue with the two-party system — it was policy. 50.5% of voters say they'd back an Independent simply because that candidate's positions align with their own.

Its not just independent voters either, with nearly half of Democrat and Republican voters agreeing, their support depends on an independent candidates policy stance.

In an era of extreme partisanship, that's a genuinely hopeful signal: for most Americans, it's the policy that matters — not the party label.

The two-party grip is loosening in several state races. Here are the stories this week featuring independent candidates making real moves on the ballot.

1 - For Immediate Release: Independent Todd Achilles Within 4 Points Among Likely Voters

Bullfinch Group · August 13, 2026 

New Idaho Poll: Recent statewide polling of likely 2026 voters in Idaho shows Independent Todd Achilles in an exceptionally strong position against incumbent Republican Senator Jim Risch. Achilles trails Risch by just 4 percentage points while boasting a stellar net favorability rating and huge room for growth.

2 - As Withdrawal Deadline Comes to a Close in Senate Race, Bankhead and Bodnar Both Commit to Staying the Course

Flathead Beacon · August 10, 2026 

Both Democrat Alani Bankhead and independent Seth Bodnar are staying in Montana's Senate race despite a month of pressure on Bankhead to drop out — a split that Montana Democrats fear hands Republican Kurt Alme the seat. Bankhead, badly outraised, says she won her primary fair and won't be pushed out; Bodnar's camp argues she has no path and is just running interference. Local Democrats are visibly divided over whether backing the independent is smart strategy or a betrayal of their own nominee.

3 - Bodnar in Billings: Not bowing out

MTFP · August 7, 2026 

Independent Seth Bodnar confirmed in Billings he's staying in Montana's Senate race, even as pro-Bodnar Democrats — including Jon Tester and Max Baucus — pressure Bankhead to clear the field. Bodnar called her "unvetted" and dinged her poverty comments; she calls it out of context. With Bankhead's campaign nearly broke against Bodnar's much bigger war chest, Indivisible and others are now openly asking her to step aside.

4 - Independent House candidate Michael Bridgford visits Fairfield

Southeast Iowa Union · August 5, 2026 

Independent House candidate Michael Bridgford stopped in Fairfield, Iowa, telling the local paper he's running against "the broken two-party system" and gridlock in Washington. First-time candidate, self-funded infrastructure, top priorities: the $40 trillion national debt, reining in executive power, and congressional term limits.

5 - Todd Achilles to Hold Meet and Greets

Eye On Sun Valley · August 11, 2026 

Independent Senate candidate Todd Achilles is holding four Wood River Valley meet-and-greets Aug. 12-13, from a Harker Center Q&A to a park meetup in Hailey. The Boise State professor and former tank commander is running for Risch's seat pledging a two-term limit, and has broken from his former party to criticize Medicaid/SNAP cuts, the 2026 Iran War, and DOGE layoffs he says hurt wildfire response.

6 - The Democrat Is Out in Idaho Senate Race. Now It’s Independent Todd Achilles vs. Jim Risch

IVN · August 7, 2026 

Idaho Democrat David Roth dropped out of the Senate race, clearing the anti-Risch lane for independent Todd Achilles — following weeks of pressure from Democrats to consolidate, echoing Nebraska's Osborn playbook. The funding gap tells the story: Achilles has raised $692K to Roth's $8,600, against GOP incumbent Jim Risch's $3.3 million war chest.

7 - Independent U.S. House candidate Bill Hill talks corruption, cost of living during Petersburg visit

KFSK · August 10, 2026 

Independent House candidate Bill Hill brought his same core pitch to Petersburg: lower costs for Alaskans, fight D.C. corruption (he backs a stock-trading ban for Congress), and protect the Alaska way of life — subsistence access, gun rights, local control. The Bristol Bay fisherman and retired educator picked up real momentum after Democrat Matt Schultz dropped out in July and threw his support behind him, consolidating the anti-Begich vote.

Voting Reform & Independent Voters

1 – New secretary of state will continue to defend Texas’ open primaries against GOP lawsuit

The Texas Tribune · August 10, 2026 

New Texas Secretary of State Robert Howden says he'll keep defending the state's open primary system against the Texas GOP's lawsuit — even though Gov. Abbott and party leaders want closed primaries. The party's own new chair says the lawsuit's legal fees are now its biggest debt.

2 – Paul Rieckhoff: Mamdani's Board of Elections Quietly Crushes NYC Open Primaries

IVN · August 7, 2026 

NYC's Board of Elections quietly rejected 42,000 petitions for open primaries, shutting out a million independent voters — Paul Rieckhoff calls it the story nobody's covering. Plus: an exclusive with South Dakota's Brian Bengs, now in a cleared head-to-head against Mike Rounds, as independents in Nebraska, Idaho, and Montana line up as potential Senate kingmakers.

3 – The case for opening primaries to NYC independent voters

AMNY · August 3, 2026 

Open Primaries op-ed calls out Mayor Mamdani for saying he's "content" with NYC's closed primary system, which shuts 1.2 million independents — a quarter of city voters, majority people of color — out of publicly funded elections. The ask: a town hall, not a lawsuit. Just "meet us."

4 – Five strong candidates show why Alaska’s open primary is worth protecting

ADN · August 7, 2026 

An op-ed praises Alaska's crowded, cross-partisan governor field — five genuinely strong candidates spanning the political map, from a Tlingit healer to a labor-focused Republican — as proof the open primary works. The author's case: this kind of range only happens without a partisan filter, which is why voters should reject Ballot Measure 2's repeal effort this November.

5 – A veteran’s case for more choice and more voice in elections

Michigan Advance · August 11, 2026 

Army veteran Zaneta Adams of Veterans for All Voters makes the case for ranked-choice voting in Michigan, arguing closed primaries force candidates to "define what you're against" before they ever get to define what they're for — squeezing out coalition-builders, especially women and candidates of color. Michigan advocates are now pushing incremental, local-level RCV adoption after state law blocked a broader push.

6 – DNC's Proposed RCV Ban Sparks Debate Over 2028 Presidential Primaries

The Fulcrum · August 6, 2026 

The DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee has quietly moved to gut ranked-choice voting for 2028 — awarding delegates on first choices only, effectively overriding RCV laws in Maine and D.C. FairVote's Rob Richie argues it's a "ban" in all but name, driven by one longtime RCV opponent, and warns it undercuts a reform Maine Democrats support 84-6 and D.C. voters just approved. The full DNC could still overturn it in August.

7 – Primary chaos could have been averted with ranked-choice voting

THE CAP TIMES · August 5, 2026 

The Cap Times editorial board blames the Wisconsin Elections Commission for disenfranchising tens of thousands of absentee voters whose gubernatorial picks dropped out mid-race, after a court upheld a rule barring voters from "spoiling" and recasting ballots. Their fix: ranked-choice voting, already proposed in the legislature, so a dropped-out candidate never means a lost vote.

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We represent those who are fed up with partisan politics and feel politically homeless. We believe the future is not red or blue; it’s fiscally responsible, socially inclusive, and free to choose the best options for ourselves, our families, and our communities.