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Our partner, Americans Together regularly monitors the state of competition for control of the US Congress. Of the 35 U.S. Senate seats on the ballot in 2026, only 8 are truly in play. The other 27 are already rated safely for one party — 16 for Republicans, 11 for Democrats — leaving just a handful of leans-one-way or toss-up races to decide which party controls the chamber.

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 - FULL INTERVIEW: Seth Bodnar—Montana Independent Candidate—Could Decide Balance Of Senate Power

Forbes · September 14, 2026 

Seth Bodnar, a veteran who served as a Green Beret and the former president of the University of Montana, joined “Forbes Newsroom” to discuss his campaign running as an independent in Montana’s U.S. Senate race.

2 - Montana Senate candidate who shot a stand-in Flock camera in a campaign ad calls for federal limits on surveillance tech

Business Insider · September 16, 2026 

Seth Bodnar released a viral ad shooting a Flock Safety surveillance camera with a shotgun, slamming the AI-powered license-plate readers as "creepy as hell" and tied to Big Tech's data economy — timed right after Trump said he "likes" Flock cameras. Bodnar, trailing Republican Kurt Alme by 8 points, also knocked Alme for staying silent on the issue.

3 - Kiley says he won’t caucus with Republicans if reelected

SEMAFOR · September 16, 2026 

Rep. Kevin Kiley says if reelected as an independent, he won't caucus with Republicans next year — he's currently forced to for committee assignments and wants House rules changed so independents aren't denied seats. In the same Semafor interview, he called Trump's push to dismantle the Department of Education "fundamentally misguided."

4 - Senate candidate Todd Achilles talks breaking up the two-party system

Bonner County Daily Bee · September 13, 2026 

Todd Achilles says he's held 250+ events across all 44 Idaho counties, challenging "corporatist" both-partyism as he takes on 83-year-old Sen. Jim Risch. His pitch: a coalition of independent Senate candidates across Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Mississippi, and Colorado could flip the chamber to "48, 48, and four" — enough to force term limits, redistricting reform, and money out of politics. Locally, he's citing Post Falls' Miracle on Britton housing model as a fix for Idaho's affordability crisis.

Voting Reform & Independent Voters

1 – America Has an Uncontested Election Problem. Here’s What Can Be Done

IVN · September 16, 2026 

Only 69 of 435 House districts are actually competitive — Rafael Gonzalez lays out the fixes: open primaries (Alaska saw just 12% of legislative races uncontested after adopting them), independent redistricting, multi-member districts, and campaign finance reform to level the playing field for challengers. His bigger point: institutions only get you so far — America also needs a cultural shift that makes running (and losing) feel worthwhile, not just winning.

2 – America Has an Uncontested Election Problem. Here’s What Can Be Done

Louisville Public Media · September 9, 2026 

Open Primaries' Jeremy Gruber tells LPM that Kentucky's independents — 11% of voters and the fastest-growing group in the state — are locked out of the taxpayer-funded primaries that now decide most races. His counter to "party integrity" arguments: forcing people to join a party just to vote is what actually erodes it. His bottom line — no new law needed, either party could open its primary tomorrow, and a new group, Let Us Vote Kentucky, is now organizing to push them to.

3 – Advocates, state lawmaker call for open primaries in Delaware

Bay to Bay News · September 10, 2026 

Ahead of Delaware's Sept. 15 primary, Open Primaries and local advocates held a call pushing to open the state's primary elections to unaffiliated voters — building on a bill introduced earlier this year (semi-open primaries) that's been moving through the state House.

4 – Alaska Is Voting on More Than Ranked Choice Voting. It’s Voting on Who Gets to Vote

The Fulcrum · September 16, 2026 

Alaska's Ballot Measure 2 wouldn't just repeal ranked-choice voting — attorney Scott Kendall argued to the state Supreme Court that its fine print lets parties block the 60% of Alaskans registered independent from voting in primaries at all, "at the stroke of a pen." The court upheld the ballot language as fair anyway. California is fighting an identical battle over its own Top Two primary via a measure called "Undo the Top-Two." Both fights hinge on the same question: is voting a citizenship right, or something parties get to gatekeep?

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