Democrats Back Independent Candidates in Some Red States

Democratic officials are supporting independent candidates in some Republican-leaning states this midterm cycle rather than backing their own party's nominees in every race. Senate this week. Burbank said a main goal was to avoid having a Democrat on the ballot who might draw votes away from independent Dan Osborn.

Democratic leaders view Osborn, who came within 7 percentage points of winning a Senate seat in 2024, as having the strongest chance to defeat Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts. The approach of supporting independents in certain contests is an intentional strategy in some cases and more informal in others.

It applies to a small number of Senate, House and state legislative races. Independent Senate candidates are also on the ballot in Idaho, South Dakota and Montana. Democratic leadership has not fully backed those candidates so far, though some party members see them as the most viable option to compete against Republicans this fall.

“For some states, and Nebraska is one of them, where Democrats are 32% of the electorate, this is a long-term strategy for us,” Jane Kleeb said. Kleeb, who also serves as a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, said the state party is supporting independents in at least four state legislative seats in addition to the Senate race.

“We have to build a coalition with independents in order to win elections so we can do good work for the people. Period,” she said. The Democratic National Committee and some allies have provided quiet support for the approach. ActBlue, the party's main fundraising platform, is used by some independent candidates.

Democratic-aligned website services are also supporting them. Some party campaign committees have offered logistical help while refraining from criticizing the independents, even where Democratic nominees are on the ballot.

Some Democratic donors, strategists and officials from other states have expressed opposition to the strategy. They argue the party should focus on improving its own brand rather than bypassing nominees for short-term gains. ” asked Democratic strategist Mike Ceraso.

In Idaho, independent Senate candidate Todd Achilles, an Army veteran and former Democratic state legislator, said he would not caucus with either party if elected. He described his views as “straight down the middle” and emphasized individual liberties.

Achilles and other military veterans running as independents for Senate communicate in a group text. They are seeking changes including term limits, age limits and campaign finance reform. “The priority is to get Congress functioning again. We gotta break the grip of the two-party system,” he said.

In South Dakota, independent Brian Bengs is running against Republican Sen. Mike Rounds. Bengs, a Navy and Air Force veteran, previously ran as a Democrat in 2022 and lost by 43 points. He said the Democratic label made it difficult to connect with voters.

In Alaska, some Democrats see independent Bill Hill, a commercial fisherman and retired school superintendent, as a strong contender for the state's only U.S. House seat against first-term Republican Rep. Nick Begich. Hill raised more than $780,000 in the first three months of the year, compared with $578,000 raised by Democrat Matt Schultz.

The state Democratic Party did not endorse Schultz at its recent convention. Hill has received endorsements from some local unions. He said his message is the same across party lines: voters should be pragmatic because the House seat needs to change.

Hill said he is unlikely to caucus with Republicans but has not committed to joining Democrats either. ” There are currently two independents in the Senate, both of whom caucus with Democrats.