The Centrist Project today released the results of an online survey of 1200 likely Missouri voters in the United States Senate election in 2016 that shows 34.5% of voters would support an unnamed independent candidate, while 19.1% would support the Republican candidate and 19.9% would support the Democratic candidate. Twenty-six percent of voters said they would support “whichever candidate most closely aligns with their values.” The survey did not specifically name any potential candidates for the seat currently held by Sen. Roy Blunt (R).

The survey, conducted online by Survata, a national consumer survey research firm, polled 1200 likely Missouri voters with a margin of error of 2.8% at a 95% confidence level.

“Missouri voters are expressing a clear appetite for an independent candidate to run for the US Senate in 2016,” said Jim Jonas, spokesman for The Centrist Project. “Voters are fed up with status quo politics, and they feel they’re not represented by the traditional parties. A large group of voters seeks an alternative, independent candidate that can bridge the caustic hyper-partisanship of the US Senate and bring common-sense, collaborative leadership to Washington to get Congress working again.”

The Centrist Project was founded in 2013 following the publication of Charles Wheelan’s book, The Centrist Manifesto, in which Wheelan argues for a political movement of the middle, an “insurgency of the rational,” in his words, to break the paralyzed two-party gridlock in Washington and force the parties into more responsible policymaking and more responsive leadership. Wheelan continues to serve as Co-Chairman and Founder of The Centrist Project. In 2014, The Centrist Project supported a slate of candidates including highly competitive independent candidates former US Senator Larry Pressler in South Dakota and Greg Orman in Kansas. The organization is actively recruiting viable independent candidates to run for the US Senate in states across the country in 2016.

“It’s very telling that while only 19.8% of Missouri voters self-identify as Independent / Unaffiliated, 34.5% of all Missourians would likely support an independent candidate for the US Senate in 2016. That’s clear evidence that voters are frustrated with the political parties – even their own – and are anxious for an independent voice as an option for the US Senate race in 2016,” said Jonas.

Survey results with questions are below. Cross tabulations are available upon request.

The Centrist Project (http://www.CentristProject.org), a national 501c4 organization that provides educational resources for independent-minded voters across the country, is helping to identify politically independent candidates to run for the United States Senate in 2016 and beyond.

The Survey:

Source: Survata: 1200 Likely Missouri Voters for US Senate 2016 with a margin of error of 2.8% at a 95% confidence level.

Screening Q1:

How likely are you to vote in the Missouri 2016 US Senate race?

Extremely likely: 73.5%

Somewhat likely: 26.5%

Somewhat unlikely: 0%

Neutral/Unsure: 0%

Extremely unlikely: 0%

Not a registered voter: 0%

Screening Q2:

What city’s TV stations do you usually watch?

Columbia/Jefferson: 8.6%

Kansas City: 25.9%

St Louis: 41.8%

Springfield: 16.8%

Other: 6.9%

Q1. When you think about politics and campaigns, do you consider yourself:

Republican: 29.8%

Democrat: 29.6%

Independent/Unaffiliated: 19.8%

No preference/Depends on candidate: 20.8%

Q2: If an Independent candidate were to run for the US Senate race, which candidate would you most likely vote for?

The Republican candidate: 19.4%

The Democratic candidate: 19.9%

The Independent candidate (who is a problem solver, not a hard partisan): 34.5%

Whichever candidate is most closely aligned with my values: 26.2%

Q3: Below are some characteristics of a potential Independent candidate for the US Senate – a candidate who doesn’t belong to either the Republican party or the Democratic party. Check all that would make you more likely to support this independent candidate:

Isn’t a hard partisan or political extremist: 63.2%

Is a business leader and job creator who can work with all sides to get things done: 51.6%

Is a problem solver 62.9%

Will go to Washington to represent Missouri as an Independent Senator, not to represent Democrats or Republicans: 57.9%

Is fiscally and environmentally responsible and socially tolerant: 51.6%

Q5: What is your ethnicity?

American Indian/Alaska Native: <1%

Asian: 1.7%

African American: 6.3%

Hispanic or Latino: 2.3%

Pacific Islander: <1%

White: 78.3%

Other: 2.2%

Prefer not to answer: 6.8%

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