The Year of the Independent

CNN released a new presidential approval poll this week, and the headlines aren’t good for the White House. More Americans now disapprove of the job the president is doing than at any other point during the five-plus years Donald Trump has occupied the Oval Office – higher even than after the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol.

News coverage has largely focused on the president’s shortcomings, linking his declining fortunes with the Democrats’ resurgence at the ballot box. Democrats have outperformed Kamala Harris’ 2024 margins by double digits in every congressional special election held this year, and their performance in statewide legislative races has been equally impressive. If 2026 can be framed as a referendum on Trump’s record, Nov. 3, 2026, will be a very good night for Democrats.

Considered alongside an earlier CNN poll, however, the recent numbers aren’t universally good news for the Democratic Party. That poll, published Jan. 18, found that congressional Democratic leaders were also deeply disliked – much of that animus coming from within the party’s rank and file voters – as some 52% of Democrats expressed unfavorable views of their own party’s leadership. Those voters will still side with Democratic congressional candidates in the fall, but it is a warning sign.

This widespread dissatisfaction with the leaders of both major parties raises an intriguing question: Could 2026 become the year of the independent?

Several high-quality independent candidates are already running or actively exploring the possibility. Seth Bodnar, former president of the University of Montana, announced his Senate candidacy in March. Mike Duggan, former mayor of Detroit, is running for governor of Michigan and is currently tied in polls with the two leading major-party candidates. Adam Hamilton, founder of the largest Methodist congregation in America, is considering a Senate run as an independent in my home state of Kansas – where he would offer voters the only viable alternative to Roger Marshall, the state’s junior senator. Each of these candidates is deeply accomplished, and the country would be better served if any of them were elected. An anti-establishment wave could help sweep all three into office.

The appeal of independents is obvious. Free from the obligation to serve party bosses and the special interests that hold sway over both major parties, independents can do what’s actually right for their constituents. They can hire the best people rather than rewarding longtime party loyalists. At a moment when AI and social media are transforming our economy and culture at breathtaking speed, imagine having a staffer who genuinely understands those forces – rather than the nephew of a major donor.

Independents can think for themselves, applying facts and common sense rather than clinging to rigid ideology. And accomplished candidates like the three above – people who don’t need the job – can act with real courage, unafraid of angering the wrong special interest or powerful corporation.

There is a full major league baseball season between now and the November elections. In that time, each of these candidates will be attacked by the defenders of the status quo – people who believe that only two parties are entitled to govern. They’ll invoke words like “spoiler” and “wasted vote.” They’ll work to convince Americans that these candidates aren’t who they say they are, all in service of perpetuating a system that has failed the very voters who depend on it.

The recent CNN polls make clear how disillusioned Americans are with their elected leaders. If voters can tune out those predictable attacks and take a serious look at what independent candidates are actually offering, they might find a real opportunity – not just to register their frustration, but to genuinely improve their government and their lives.