It’s been a while! However, no matter how little we’ve written about independent candidates and organizations over the past month, actions continue to be taken by those who look to change the two-party system.
Let’s start with Unite America and the candidates that fall under their umbrella. Neal Simon, running for U.S. Senate in Maryland, had a fantastic month while opening his new campaign office.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.170783426893078.1073741830.126383201333101&type=1&l=151e8c4304
Simon continued to make ground on the campaign trail, too. Real Clear Politics listed him as the main contender to Democrat Ben Cardin, the incumbent.
Unite America added to their endorsed candidate list by selecting Jeremy Peruski, an independent running for U.S. House in Michigan, to publicly endorse. We will keep you up to date with his campaign moving forward.
Unite America made the month of May a month to remember. Already-endorsed elected officials and candidates, like Governor Bill Walker of Alaskaand Craig O’Dear, U.S. Senate candidate for Missouri, continued to make their followers proud.
Walker spoke mid-month about the progress of public safety in his state, “Under our ongoing efforts under the Public Safety Action Plan, Alaskans should know we are taking advantage of every opportunity to build a state where they feel safe in their homes and communities.” Read more here.
O’Dear, a candidate struggling to gain ground, made an effort to reach out to another celebrity sick of the two-party system in America. Mark Cuban voiced his opinion via his Twitter account, and O’Dear was quick to voice his approval with the Dallas Mavericks’ owner’s statements.
More candidates were added to the Unite America slate as the New Mexico chapter continued to grow this past month. Jarratt Applewhite and Tweeti Blancett put their names in the hat, both running for New Mexico state house.
The candidates came with high praise from Unite America leaders.
“We’re proud to endorse Jarratt and Tweeti because of their lifelong commitment to New Mexico and their local communities,” said Unite New Mexico co-chair Bob Perls, a former state representative and former U.S. diplomat. “These leaders represent what it means to put people ahead of partisan and special interests and we’re excited to do all we can to support their candidacies.”
Don’t worry, there was action outside of Unite America candidates!
Noah Dyer, an independent candidate for Governor of Arizona, continued to create the most content in hunt of the 36,000 signatures needed just to get on the ballot as an independent in the state of Arizona. He’s collected well over 25,000 signatures, but only has a few days to collect the remaining signatures needed. Give his Facebook a follow to stay up to date with the signature count. To read more about his struggles, click here.
The independent landscape continued to grow, too! A few names were added to the mix, some becoming more popular than others. Why? You guessed it. Activity levels.
https://www.facebook.com/AZGov/videos/2075739706005793/
Cooper Nye picked up steam this past month thanks to increased activity. Nye is an independent candidate running for U.S. House in Michigan. To read his recent op-ed, click here.
Nathan Altman, running for US Senate in Indiana, gave us a behind-the-scenes look at his campaign. Altman continues his fight to #FreeTheBallot.
Also, Dyer seemingly uncovered a massive conspiracy:
https://www.facebook.com/AltmanINSenate/videos/601829913517058/
Laura H. Sibilia announced she is running for re-election to Vermont House. To read her letter to the people, click here.
We most likely missed something, but in our eyes, that’s a damn good problem to have. Seeing the activity levels rise each and every month as we inch closer and closer to November gives us hope that independents will win when the time comes.
© 2018 Free Wheel Media. This article originally published on FreeWheelUs, and has been modified slightly for publication on IVN.