> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://ivn.us/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Independent National Convention 2026: America’s Independent Movement Is Entering the Same Room - URL: https://ivn.us/independent-national-convention-2026-americas-independent-movement-is-entering-the-same-room/ - Published: 2026-09-10T14:27:27.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-10T14:29:07.000Z - Description: This September in Washington, leaders from across independent politics and democracy reform will gather alongside independent candidates from across the country. The significance is what becomes possible when an increasingly large but fragmented political ecosystem begins to coordinate. - Author: Christopher Life - Tags: Commentary, Independent Voters, Campaigns From **September 23–25, the Independent National Convention will convene at the JW Marriott in Washington, D.C.** *With 45% of Americans identifying as independent, the people and organizations working beyond the two-party system face the next challenge: turning numbers into political power.* Because the emergence of a large independent constituency does not automatically produce an **independent movement**. A movement requires more than shared dissatisfaction with the status quo. It needs relationships, institutions, leadership, common standards, political infrastructure and places where people working on different pieces of the problem can encounter one another. ## Redefining ‘Independence’ The goal isn’t for every independent to think the same way about every topic. It is to identify the common ground and unifying framework beneath the typical talking points. To me, that suggests a more useful definition of political independence itself: not another ideology or tribe positioned between left and right, but a **higher standard of representation**. Can a public official exercise independent judgment? Can voters have meaningful choices and think for themselves as they cast their vote? Can candidates and elected leaders remain accountable to constituents rather than becoming wholly dependent upon partisan institutions or special interests? The emerging independent movement is increasingly organized around a shared diagnosis: the current political system has structural flaws, corruption and poor representation are not confined to one side, and civic integrity must become more important than partisan loyalty. This creates the common ground needed to build the cohesion for a united independent movement. ## From A Collection of Efforts to An Ecosystem For years, organizations seeking to develop the U.S. independent sector often worked in parallel silos. The Independent National Convention was created to resolve this fragmentation, and this year’s lineup underscores that purpose. Former Massachusetts Lt. Governor **Kerry Healey**, now Executive Chair of the **Forward Party**, and Forward CEO **Lindsey Williams Drath** will participate. Forward is building party infrastructure around the country while emphasizing state-level organization and political competition outside the traditional two-party structure. **Amanda Griffiths**, Vice Chair of the **Libertarian National Committee**, represents a political tradition that predates most of today’s independent organizations and America’s most established alternative-party infrastructures. **John Opdycke**, founder and president of **Open Primaries**, brings more than three decades of work in independent politics and an organization focused specifically on opening primary elections to more voters. **Nick Troiano**, executive director of **Unite America**, represents another major branch of the ecosystem: philanthropic investment in structural election reform, including primary reform. **Adam Brandon**, Senior Advisor to the **Independent Center** and a co-founder of the Independent Leadership Council, will bring yet another lens focused on understanding and organizing voters who do not feel represented by the traditional partisan system and advocating for viable, federal independent candidates. **Marianne Williamson**, a bestselling author and former independent candidate, will bring another dimension to the gathering, exploring questions of political culture, public values and the moral character of governmental leadership. And former Congressman **Dennis Kucinich** adds a seasoned perspective. Kucinich served eight terms in Congress and returned to electoral politics in 2024 by running for the House as an independent. The overarching goal is to get organizations and leaders working in independent politics to operate in more synergistic relationships with one another in order to increase the overall effectiveness of the American independent sector. ## Then Come the Independent Candidates Confirmed participants include **Dan Osborn**, the independent candidate for U.S. Senate in Nebraska; **Seth Bodnar**, the former President of the University of Montana, now an independent Senate candidate in Montana; and veteran **Brian Bengs**, the independent Senate candidate in South Dakota. They will be joined by **Bill Hill**, an independent candidate for Alaska's at-large House seat who advanced through Alaska's top-four primary, and sitting Congressman **Kevin Kiley of California**, who formally changed his affiliation from Republican to independent earlier this year and is now listed by the House historian as an Independent. Campaigns that would normally operate in separate silos will be in the same room, appearing together on one stage and giving the national independent community an unusual opportunity to see a federal candidate cohort as part of a broader movement rather than as isolated campaigns. ## The Next Challenge is Coordination John Opdycke recently [wrote about the resurgence and increasing diversity of the independent movement.](https://ivn.us/perot-2-0-isnt-a-candidate-its-a-movement/) His argument raises what I believe is the next logical question: **What does an emerging movement do once it realizes that it exists?** It has to build. It needs durable backbone institutions instead of election-cycle organizations. It needs relationships between funders, candidates, reformers and organizers. It needs pathways for citizens who have left the parties. It needs standards that allow independence to mean something more substantive than the absence of a "D" or an "R." America does not lack independent people. America now needs independent organizations and leaders to develop enough shared infrastructure and mutual trust to become a formidable political force. On September 23, many of the people currently working to create that capacity will enter the same room in Washington. For those who want to observe, participate in, or better understand that emerging ecosystem, the **Independent National Convention runs September 23–25 in Washington, D.C.** Program information and registration are available at the[ Independent National Convention](https://independentnationalconvention.com/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com). --- **Christopher Life** is the founder and CEO of United Independents and Executive Producer of the Independent National Convention.