Democrats back independents in some red state races
Democratic leaders are testing a red-state strategy in this midterm contest season that, in some places, involves backing independents rather than relying solely on Democratic nominees, according to a report by the Associated Press. The approach is aimed at competing in states where Democrats say their party brand has been difficult to sell, including races in Nebraska and Alaska.
In Nebraska, Democratic nominee Cindy Burbank won the state’s U.S. Senate nomination while emphasizing a goal tied to the independent line. Burbank said a major campaign priority was ensuring that a Democrat would not be on the fall ballot in order to pull support from independent Dan Osborn, who came within 7 percentage points of winning a Senate seat in 2024.
Burbank’s plan, as described by Nebraska Democratic chair Jane Kleeb, is tied to the timing of the fall ballot. Kleeb said that shortly after polls closed, Burbank reiterated her plan to drop out in the coming weeks during a private conversation with a party official.
Kleeb, who also serves as a vice chair to the Democratic National Committee, said Democrats believe Osborn has the best chance to defeat Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts. She also framed the independent strategy as more than a one-cycle effort in states where Democrats occupy a smaller share of the electorate. “For some states, and Nebraska is one of them, where Democrats are 32% of the electorate, this is a long-term strategy for us,” Kleeb said.
Kleeb said Nebraska Democrats are backing independents in additional contests beyond the Senate race, including at least four state legislative seats. “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 Associated Press report describes a wider pattern in other Republican-leaning states, including Idaho, South Dakota and Montana, where Democratic leadership has so far been less willing to fully embrace independent candidates. The report also says some of the party’s national political operation appears to be supporting independents in discreet ways, including routing some independent candidates through ActBlue and through Democratic-allied website builders, while some Washington campaign committees provide logistical support in some cases without publicly criticizing the independents even when a Democrat is also running.
Democrats’ incentives to keep the independents competitive are also being tested by internal questions about what the strategy means for the party long term. Democratic strategist Josh Schwerin defended the pivot, saying Democrats need to adopt a “big tent” approach. “The Democratic Party’s brand is awful right now,” Schwerin said. “The combination of the brand problem and the existential nature of the threat that our country is facing requires us to have a big tent and look for candidates who can win.”
But the report says some Democratic donors, strategists and leaders from other states have privately pushed back. Mike Ceraso, a Democratic strategist, questioned whether independents would deliver for the Democratic agenda, saying the shift risks disguising Democrats. “What’s the independent going to do for the Democratic Party if they win?” Ceraso asked. “We’re the party of truth and honesty and integrity, but we’re playing these stupid political games?”
Independent candidates described their own positions as well. In Idaho, independent Senate candidate Todd Achilles, an Army veteran and former Democratic state legislator, said he would not be caucusing with either major party if elected. He said his politics are “straight down the middle,” and said he believes in individual liberties, adding that Idahoans should be able to live how they want. Achilles also said he sees the Democratic Party as not fitting Idaho, saying it “has given up on little red states like Idaho.”
Achilles said he and other military veterans running as independents are coordinating by text and “very much on the same page.” He said the group’s focus includes “guardrails,” including term and age limits and campaign finance reform. “The priority is to get Congress functioning again,” he said. “We gotta break the grip of the two-party system.”
In South Dakota, independent bidmaker Brian Bengs is running to defeat Republican Sen. Mike Rounds. Bengs, a Navy and Air Force veteran, said he is a lifelong independent and launched his bid after describing a rejection he received from Democrats when he sought organizational support in 2022. He said his prior effort taught him how difficult it can be to break through politically when candidates run without the party label fully accepted by voters.
Bengs described the reaction to his positioning as a Democrat without committing to Democratic alignment. He recalled voters asking, “What are you?” and said that when he said he was “a lifelong independent running as a Democrat,” the response was quick: “‘I’ll never vote for a Democrat.’ And that was it,” he said. Bengs said the experience soured him on running again under either party system, describing it as “just a soul-sucking experience.”
In Alaska, the AP report says some Democrats believe independent commercial fisherman Bill Hill may be their best hope against Republican Rep. Nick Begich for the state’s only House seat. Hill attended a state Democratic Party convention, where the state party declined to endorse a different Democrat, Matt Schultz, a pastor. The report also says a House Democrats’ campaign committee in Washington declined so far to promote Schultz, while Hill has received local union endorsements.
Hill’s pitch to voters, as described in the report, centers on pragmatism rather than party identity. He said his message is the same regardless of party and that voters “need to be pragmatic about who you choose to support in this election cycle, because at the end of the day, we need a change in the House seat in Alaska.” The report also says Hill is unlikely to caucus with Republicans in Washington if elected, but he is not committing to join Democrats either.
The report says the National Republican Senatorial Committee criticized independents including Osborn, Bengs, Achilles and Seth Bodnar, calling them “fake Independents who would push liberal Democratic policies in the Senate.” It also notes that there are two independents in the Senate, Maine Sen. Angus King and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, and that both caucus with Democrats.
The AP story also notes an update correcting the date when Bengs said he was turned down by Democrats for seeking support in 2022, rather than this year.