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There is only one governor in the US with an "I" next to their name: Alaska Governor Bill Walker. However, Walker announced late Friday that he has suspended his bid for re-election -- citing the poor odds against his campaign winning the election and preventing the candidate he least wants to win from getting elected. "With more time, I am confident that [Lieutenant Gov. Valerie Davidson] and I could deliver a message and a campaign that could earn a victory in this election," Walker wrote in

LOS ANGELES, CALIF. -  We are just 20 days away from the November midterms, and California polls continue to show a historic election in the making. Thomas Partners Strategies released the results of its latest poll for KFI AM 640 (KFI-NBC) Wednesday. There are three races of interest in particular: * The odds of California voters electing the first independent -- Steve Poizner -- to statewide office are increasing; * Gavin Newsom maintains his lead over John Cox, though his advantage with N

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NteNMmaFosU KANSAS CITY, KAN. - It has been a historic year for election reform, from ranked choice voting being used for the first time in statewide and non-presidential federal elections in Maine, to game-changing gerrymandering reform measures on the ballot in 4 states. Independent Kansas gubernatorial candidate Greg Orman says his state is in need of similar systemic reform -- to change a system that serves Republican and Democratic Parties above voters. "I

In California, Proposition 8 and Proposition 10 are both ranking very high on both Ballotpedia's page views.  Ballotpedia's Sarah Rosier and IVN's Lindsay France take a look at the politics involved with the help of IVN's 2018 Voter Survey. Check out the methodology here. Also, a few major independent candidates are getting traction online and in polls; California's Steve Poizner and Kansas's Greg Orman are political veterans who are turning the game on its head and gaining massive support. Pl

The 2018 primary season will go down in history.A record number of women secured party nominations, including the headline-making upsets by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley. Retiring incumbents drew large numbers of diverse candidates competing for the open seat. Voter turnout peaked in several states and districts with competitive primaries.Topping the highlight reel was Maine, which became the first state in the country to use ranked choice voting in its June primary, with plans to

What are the main take-aways from the 2018 primary season from an election reform perspective? In summary, some good news, some problems, and some emerging solutions. The good news is that competition and participation both increased significantly in 2018, as more people ran, more people voted, and more primaries actually offered choice to voters. The number of candidates seeking office jumped by 30% compared with 2016, and the percent of primaries that were contested also rose significantly, p

Running a campaign outside the two-party apparatus is not easy. I have reported on the many barriers in place that are hostile to independent and third party candidates even launching a campaign. However, even when these candidates do make it on the ballot and present a viable challenge to the political status quo, they still face a media and campaign environment that marginalizes their candidacy at every level. Case in point, in Kansas, the three candidates for governor -- Republican Kris Kob

The point, they say, of campaign debates is to give the public a chance to get to know the candidates and understand the differences between them on issues, policy and the like. When I watched the KCPT Kansas Gubernatorial Debate that was hosted by the Johnson County Bar Association last week, prepared to follow the nuances of the discussion, I was instead struck by something else entirely. There were three candidates on the stage. Three. A Republican. A Democrat. And an Independent. And everyo

Steve Baccus, who served as chairman of sitting GOP Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer's 2018 campaign, will not back the Republican nominee for governor this year. Instead, he has endorsed and signed on to co-chair independent Greg Orman's campaign -- citing his desire to put Kansas' interests first. “I made it clear when I joined Governor Colyer’s campaign that I believed Kansas needed a leader who was committed to the state,” said Baccus. “While my candidate in the primary election did not succeed

DENVER, COLO. - Unite America, a national organization providing support for independent candidates running for elected office in various states, hosted the first-ever Unite Summit in Denver, Colorado, this past weekend. Attendees came from across the country to hear about the future of the independent movement, as it has come to be called, and what could be done to successfully effect change in American politics. Panels were held and speeches given on running competitive independent campaigns