{"id":6661,"date":"2026-05-15T16:01:51","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T16:01:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6661"},"modified":"2026-05-15T16:01:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T16:01:51","slug":"democrats-test-a-new-red-state-strategy-back-independents-over-their-own-nominees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6661","title":{"rendered":"Democrats test a new red state strategy: Back independents over their own nominees"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

By STEVE PEOPLES and MIKE CATALINI<\/strong><\/p>\n

NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 Democratic leaders, desperate to compete in red states where their party brand is toxic, are embracing something new this midterm season: not backing Democrats.<\/p>\n

Read more Such great heights: They\u2019re tall, they\u2019re proud \u2014 and they\u2019re getting together<\/a><\/p>\n

In states like Nebraska and Alaska, Democratic officials are, in some cases, looking past their own party\u2019s candidates while subtly encouraging \u2014 or even openly promoting \u2014 independent candidates they hope can outperform the Democratic label. The Democratic National Committee and some of its allies in Washington are quietly supporting the new strategy.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, some of the independent candidates are chatting in a group text about their approach as they plot a path that could shake up Congress, which is consumed by partisan gridlock.<\/p>\n

Nebraska Democrats this week chose a nominee for U.S. Senate, Cindy Burbank, who said a major campaign priority was to ensure a Democrat wouldn\u2019t be on the fall ballot to pull support from independent Dan Osborn. Shortly after polls closed, Burbank reiterated her plan to drop out in the coming weeks during a private conversation with a party official, according to state Democratic chair Jane Kleeb.<\/p>\n

Democratic leaders believe Osborn, who came within 7 percentage points of winning a Senate seat in 2024, has the best chance to defeat Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts.<\/p>\n

Democrats\u2019 pivot toward independents is part of an intentional strategy in some places \u2014 and something closer to a wink and a nod in others \u2014 that covers a handful of high-profile Senate and House and even statehouse contests. Independent Senate candidates are also running in states like Idaho, South Dakota and Montana, where Democratic leadership has so far been unwilling to fully embrace the independents, although many view them as the Democrats\u2019 best chance to stop Republicans this fall.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor some states, and Nebraska is one of them, where Democrats are 32% of the electorate, this is a long-term strategy for us,\u201d said Kleeb, who also serves as a vice chair to the Democratic National Committee.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Kleeb said her state party is backing independents in at least four state legislative seats in addition to the U.S. Senate: \u201cWe have to build a coalition with independents in order to win elections so we can do good work for the people. Period.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of the Democratic Party\u2019s national political machine appears to be on board.<\/p>\n

The Democrats\u2019 fundraising site, ActBlue, serves some of the independent candidates, as do popular Democratic-allied website builders. At the same time, some of the party\u2019s campaign committees in Washington quietly provide logistical support in some cases, while avoiding public criticism of the independent candidates even in some races where there is a Democratic nominee.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Democratic Party\u2019s brand is awful right now,\u201d said Democratic strategist Josh Schwerin. \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

There are risks for the Democratic Party<\/h4>\n

Some Democratic donors, strategists and party leaders from other states have privately pushed back, insisting Democrats should not look past their own nominees for short-term political gain. They want Democratic officials, in Washington and on the ground in red states, to work harder to make the Democratic brand more attractive \u2014 even if it takes several more years to be competitive.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the independent going to do for the Democratic Party if they win?\u201d asked Democratic strategist Mike Ceraso, who sees the shift toward independents as an attempt to disguise Democrats in some cases. \u201cWe\u2019re the party of truth and honesty and integrity, but we\u2019re playing these stupid political games?\u201d<\/p>\n

And there is no guarantee that the independent candidates, if elected, would support all of the Democrats\u2019 policy priorities or even Democratic leadership in Congress.<\/p>\n

In Idaho, independent Senate candidate Todd Achilles, an Army veteran and former Democratic state legislator, said he won\u2019t be caucusing with either party if elected. He explained his politics as \u201cstraight down the middle,\u201d and said he believes in individual liberties.<\/p>\n

\u201cIdahoans should be able to live how they want,\u201d he said. But the Democratic Party was a bad fit because it \u201chas given up on little red states like Idaho.\u201d<\/p>\n

On his list of problems with Democrats is that the party made a big mistake by initially running Joe Biden again for president in 2024. But he also said \u201cthe shine is coming off\u201d Trump, whom Idaho voters backed by 36 points in 2024.<\/p>\n

Achilles said he and other military veterans running for Senate as independents chat in the text chain and are \u201cvery much on the same page.\u201d He says the group wants to see \u201cguardrails,\u201d including term and age limits and campaign finance reform.<\/p>\n

Read more Research analyst from Iran found her voice at Santiago Canyon College<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe priority is to get Congress functioning again,\u201d he said. \u201cWe gotta break the grip of the two-party system.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019ll never vote for a Democrat\u2019<\/h4>\n

In South Dakota, Navy and Air Force veteran Brian Bengs has launched an independent bid to defeat Republican incumbent Sen. Mike Rounds, who\u2019s seeking a third term this fall.<\/p>\n

Bengs ran as a Democrat against Senate Majority Leader John Thune four years ago and lost by 43 points.<\/p>\n

A lifelong independent, he said he got turned down by the party this time when he sought to run with its organizational support but without the label. Still, he insists he can win without the party\u2019s formal backing.<\/p>\n

One key lesson from his 2022 campaign, he says, was how hard it was to break through with the Democratic Party label.<\/p>\n

Voters would immediately ask, \u201cWhat are you?\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you say, \u2018I\u2019m a lifelong independent running as a Democrat,\u2019\u201d Bengs said, the response was quick. \u201c\u2018I\u2019ll never vote for a Democrat.\u2019 And that was it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo that takeaway soured me on running again in any party system, because it was just a soul-sucking experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Alaska, some Democrats believe that commercial fisherman Bill Hill, a retired school superintendent, may represent their best hope in defeating first-term Republican Rep. Nick Begich for the state\u2019s only House seat.<\/p>\n

Hill, a lifelong independent, raised more than $780,000 in the first three months of the year, besting Democrat Matt Schultz, a pastor, who raised $578,000 from last October through March.<\/p>\n

The state Democratic Party declined to endorse Schultz at its recent convention, which Hill also attended. The House Democrats\u2019 campaign committee in Washington has also declined so far to promote Schultz\u2019s candidacy. Hill, meanwhile, is racking up local union endorsements.<\/p>\n

Hill\u2019s message to voters, he said, is the same for Republicans, Democrats and independents: \u201cYou 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

A spokeswoman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee criticized independents like Osborn, Bengs, Achilles and Seth Bodnar, who is running in Montana, as \u201cfake Independents who would push liberal Democratic policies in the Senate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Currently, there are two independents in the Senate: Maine Sen. Angus King and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Both caucus with Democrats.<\/p>\n

In an interview, Hill said he\u2019s unlikely to caucus with Republicans in Washington if elected, but he\u2019s not committing to joining Democrats either. He was reluctant to criticize the Democratic Party or Trump.<\/p>\n

Hill acknowledged the challenge of running for Congress as an independent, but said there are benefits, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s freedom,\u201d he said. \u201cI can truly represent the working people of Alaska.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Kentucky Republicans race to replace McConnell while carefully keeping him at arm\u2019s length<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Democratic leaders are embracing independent candidates in red states where their party brand struggles. In places like Nebraska and Alaska, Democrats are subtly or openly supporting independents they believe can outperform their own candidates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6660,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-facts","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nDemocrats test a new red state strategy: Back independents over their own nominees - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6661\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Democrats test a new red state strategy: Back independents over their own nominees - Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Democratic leaders are embracing independent candidates in red states where their party brand struggles. In places like Nebraska and Alaska, Democrats are subtly or openly supporting independents they believe can outperform their own candidates.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6661\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-15T16:01:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6661#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6661\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\"},\"headline\":\"Democrats test a new red state strategy: Back independents over their own nominees\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-15T16:01:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6661\"},\"wordCount\":1303,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6661#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/81390d057bc5ae19345f13bcaa89558e.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Facts\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6661#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6661\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6661\",\"name\":\"Democrats test a new red state strategy: Back independents over their own nominees - Silicon Valley Moving Post\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6661#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6661#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/81390d057bc5ae19345f13bcaa89558e.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-15T16:01:51+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6661#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6661\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6661#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/81390d057bc5ae19345f13bcaa89558e.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/81390d057bc5ae19345f13bcaa89558e.webp\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":682},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=6661#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Democrats test a new red state strategy: Back independents over their own nominees\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Silicon Valley Moving Post\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Democrats test a new red state strategy: Back independents over their own nominees - Silicon Valley Moving Post","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6661","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Democrats test a new red state strategy: Back independents over their own nominees - Silicon Valley Moving Post","og_description":"Democratic leaders are embracing independent candidates in red states where their party brand struggles. In places like Nebraska and Alaska, Democrats are subtly or openly supporting independents they believe can outperform their own candidates.","og_url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6661","og_site_name":"Silicon Valley Moving Post","article_published_time":"2026-05-15T16:01:51+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6661#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6661"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7"},"headline":"Democrats test a new red state strategy: Back independents over their own nominees","datePublished":"2026-05-15T16:01:51+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6661"},"wordCount":1303,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6661#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/81390d057bc5ae19345f13bcaa89558e.webp","articleSection":["Facts","News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6661#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6661","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6661","name":"Democrats test a new red state strategy: Back independents over their own nominees - Silicon Valley Moving Post","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6661#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6661#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/81390d057bc5ae19345f13bcaa89558e.webp","datePublished":"2026-05-15T16:01:51+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6661#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6661"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6661#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/81390d057bc5ae19345f13bcaa89558e.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/81390d057bc5ae19345f13bcaa89558e.webp","width":1024,"height":682},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6661#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Democrats test a new red state strategy: Back independents over their own nominees"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/","name":"Silicon Valley Moving Post","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com"],"url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6661","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6661"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6661\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}