“Pete Buttigieg, the former Transportation Secretary and popular Democratic Party surrogate who has confirmed considering a 2028 presidential bid, is endorsing independent Montana U.S. Senate candidate Seth Bodnar,” ABC News reports.
Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 192
November Surprises
Trial Balloon · Ep. 192: November Surprises
Third Party Candidates May Cost Republicans the Senate
Dan Pfeiffer: “Over the years, third-party candidates have been devastating to Democrats and America. In 2000, George W. Bush wouldn’t have become president without Green Party candidate Ralph Nader siphoning votes from Al Gore. Then in 2016, Jill Stein, also of the Green Party, helped put Trump in office. In Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, the three states that decided the election, Stein’s vote total exceeded Trump’s margin of victory.”
“Republicans have tried to re-run this play ever since. In 2020, Republican operatives quietly helped Kanye West get on the ballot (yes, that happened).”
“This year, third-party candidates could play a major role in delivering the Senate to Democrats.”
Ro Khanna to Campaign in Nebraska with Dan Osborn
“Dan Osborn, an independent who has vowed not to caucus with Republicans or Democrats if elected to serve as Nebraska’s next senator, will hit the campaign trail Saturday with progressive Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna,” CBS News reports.
“Khanna is the first elected official to campaign with Osborn, who is trying to unseat incumbent Sen. Pete Ricketts, a former Nebraska governor. There are no Democrats in the state’s congressional delegation, making it the most heavily Republican state where the California congressman has campaigned for any 2026 candidate.”
Another Bonus Quote of the Day
“They’ve been telling us for years that an independent vote is a wasted vote. Well, a great question for our times is, has that unwasted vote been working out for you?”
— Matthew McConaughey, quoted by Fox News.
GOP PAC Spends to Boost Third-Party Socialist in Ohio
“A GOP-aligned super PAC has more than tripled its investment in the Ohio Senate race over the last week as it seeks to boost a socialist candidate — an apparent attempt to sink former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown’s chances,” Politico reports.
Third-Party Candidates Could Play a Pivotal Role in Ohio
Columbus Dispatch: “As statewide contests for governor and U.S. Senate appear close, Libertarian and independent candidates could shake up these closely watched campaigns.”
“Third-party candidates have made a big splash in recent races, helping U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, win reelection in a close race in 2024.”
New Hampshire Libertarians Threaten Elected Democrats
“The New Hampshire Libertarian Party has again issued a call for political violence,” New Hampshire Public Radio reports.
In a post on X, the party’s account wrote: “We openly support the assassination of basically every elected Democrat in New Hampshire.”
Suspicions Swirl Around Third-Party Candidates
Washington Post: “In Pennsylvania, Michigan and Virginia battleground races, independents and Green candidates have popped up as left-wing alternatives to Democrats, even though their social media and voter registration history show them as supporters of President Donald Trump.”
Here’s How Republicans Are Running Against Independents
“Republicans have a simple strategy for how to campaign against a slate of independent candidates running for Senate seats in red states: Take every opportunity to tie them to Democrats,” NOTUS reports.
“In Nebraska, South Dakota, Idaho and Montana, Republican Senate candidates are running against independents who have held the Democratic Party at arm’s length in order to make competitive runs. These are states where Democratic candidates have flopped in recent years.”
Manchin Pushes for More Independents to Join Congress
“Frustrated with his fellow Democrats, Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia in 2024 gave up his lifelong membership in the Democratic Party to become an independent as he ended his congressional career,” the New York Times reports.
“Now he is trying to get more people like himself elected to Congress in a bid to break the stranglehold of the rigid two-party system that helped drive him away from Capitol Hill.”
Warrant Issued for Jill Stein
“A Missouri judge has issued an arrest warrant for three-time presidential candidate Jill Stein after she skipped a scheduled Monday court appearance in connection with her alleged assault on a police officer at an April 2024 anti-Israel college protest,” the New York Post reports.
Former GOP Mayor Vies to Create a New Party in Indiana
“Greg Ballard, the former two-term Republican mayor of Indianapolis, is running for secretary of state in Indiana this year, hoping to create a new party that he says would increase competition in general elections and moderate growing extremism in the state,” NBC News reports.
“Ballard, 71, gathered more than 37,000 signatures — an endeavor that cost his campaign more than $780,000 — to get his name on the ballot as an independent candidate.”
“Under Indiana state law, if a candidate wins at least 2% of the votes in the secretary of state race, their party secures ballot access for the next four years. Ballard is calling his party ‘the Lincoln Party’ and vows to pave the way for independent candidates to run under the moniker in the future.”
Tucker Carlson Unveils 10-Point Manifesto
“Tucker Carlson used a highly promoted livestream Wednesday to unveil a 10-point vision for America — defining the worldview of a breakaway MAGA faction increasingly at odds with President Trump,” Axios reports.
“After vowing last month to ‘help build a third party,’ Carlson fueled further speculation this weekend by hosting MAGA dissidents at his home in Maine, where they urged him to run for president in 2028.”
”The former Fox News host stopped short of a formal launch, instead presenting the manifesto as the foundation for ‘whatever comes next.’”
The Wrap: Tucker Carlson on the 2028 presidential ballot would “doom” the Republican Party.
What Is Tucker Carlson Teasing?
Tucker Carlson said he’s sharing something with his followers at 6 p.m. ET.
Said Carlson: “MAGA was betrayed. We all were. It’s time for a new path forward.”
Can Independents Win?
The Economist: “Running as an independent is sufficiently difficult that, at least historically, few politicians have deemed it wise to do so. Independent candidates lack the campaign infrastructure of an established party and, in many states, must collect more signatures to earn a place on a ballot. However aspiring politicians now face a shifting set of odds.”
“Last year 45% of Americans identified as independent, the highest share since at least 1988, according to Gallup. Those independents are, in turn, five percentage points more likely to lean Democratic than Republican. Centrists who might have formerly identified as Democrats are taking note.”
Carlson and Greene Plot ‘America First’ Party
“Former Republicans Majorie Taylor Greene and Tucker Carlson are apparently serious about their plans to launch a new political party — and they’ve got some help too,” Mediaite reports.
“Greene posted a picture on Saturday of her and her new husband Brian Glenn sitting at a wooden table headed by Carlson, who was flanked by lame duck Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and another ex-fan of President Donald Trump: Joe Kent, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center who quit earlier this year in protest of the Iran war. Massie and Kent’s wife are also seated at the table.”
Said Greene: “We said no more foreign wars and we meant it and supported Donald Trump because he made that promise. But he’s betrayed us all. Our commitment is America First for all Americans, right, left, and center. The movement has begun.”
Joe Manchin Wants to Elect More Independents
“A year and a half after leaving office, former West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin is embarking on a new political chapter with an initiative designed to elect independents to Congress,” NPR reports.
Said Manchin: “The way the parties have weaponized the political process today, they make it impossible to have a ‘D’ or an ‘R’ next to your name and speak to the other side.”
Manchin Launches Council to Elect Independents
“Former West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin is launching the Independent Leadership Council, a new effort to elect independent candidates to Congress that will focus first on competitive seats this election cycle,” Semafor reports.
Said Manchin: “We’re trying to build a true independent network. Not a third party, but a movement of people that will bring our country and the people who are participating in politics today more towards the center.”
CNN: Joe Manchin reenters the political orbit with a new independent experiment.
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Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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