Independent Candidates Make History; Throw Wrench Into Two-Party Machine

image
Free Wheel MediaFree Wheel Media
Published: 09 Apr, 2018
2 min read

Welcome to our weekly post, Independent Action, where we let you know the important moves independent candidates and organizations made over the past week.

Terry Hayes qualified for the ballot in Maine’s gubernatorial race by turning in signatures two months early — she’s the only Independent on the ticket. “I’m proud to give Maine voters the choice to vote for an experienced, independent, and courageous woman to lead as Maine’s next Governor. I am grateful to the thousands of Mainers who’ve circulated and signed petitions, and who’ve made $5 contributions to help us qualify for Clean Elections.”

ALSO READ: Independent Terry Hayes to Get Historic “Clean Elections” Funding

Neal Simon’s campaign continues to collect signatures to get him on the ballot, visiting a local high school, a chicken wing festival, and a Muslim community center all over the past week. To learn more about this candidate, check out our interview with him here.

Tim Canova made headlines last week by dropping the Democratic party in favor of the Independent tag as he takes on Debbie Wasserman-Schultz for a House seat in Florida’s 23rd congressional district. He’s quoted as saying, “I did not leave the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party left us.”

Noah Dyer, an Independent gubernatorial candidate in Arizona, will be giving away $2018 to one lucky teacher in his state through his #RedForEd raffle. His education plan and information about entering the raffle can be found here.

Ones to Watch For:

Joe Zwieran Independent candidate for Wisconsin State Senate (WI-05), was recently endorsed by Mike McCabe, a Democrat running for Wisconsin governor in 2018. This is a big party endorsement of a non-party candidate, clearly showing the Zwier campaign is picking up speed.

Lee McQueenan Independent candidate for the House of Representatives in Arkansas (District 4), has reached 1,000 of the 2,000 signatures needed to be on the ballot. She has until May 1st to surpass the signature limit.

IVP Donate

© 2018 Free Wheel Media. This article originally published on FreeWheelUs, and has been republished in its entirety with permission and by request of Free Wheel Media.

You Might Also Like

National Reform Organizations Condemn Texas and California Over Gerrymandering
National Reform Organizations Condemn Texas and California Over Gerrymandering
The United States has passed the point of no return in the unprecedented mid-cycle redistricting fight between Texas and California, which threatens to expand to other states like Republican-controlled Florida and Democratic-controlled New York....
25 Aug, 2025
-
6 min read
Gerrymandering Wars Escalate Beyond Texas and California: A National Race to the Bottom?
Gerrymandering Wars Escalate Beyond Texas and California: A National Race to the Bottom?
Republicans currently hold a narrow 219 to 212 edge over Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, with four vacancies: three from Democratic members who have died and one from a Republican who has resigned. This is the smallest House majority held by either party in nearly a century. The razor-thin margin means the stakes in the 2026 midterms could not be higher. With so few competitive seats left nationwide, both parties are turning to mid-decade redistricting as a way to secure advantages....
27 Aug, 2025
-
10 min read
Hand in ballot that says independent on it.
Why 1.2 Million California Independents Are The Biggest Wild Card in American Politics Today
The fate of Proposition 50, California’s proposed redistricting measure, may come down to voters who have declined to join one of the two major political parties....
22 Aug, 2025
-
5 min read