John Opdycke is the Founder and President of Open Primaries. He is an activist and strategist with 30 years of experience working in independent, alternative and reform politics. He is one of the country’s most visible and vocal advocates for electoral reform and political independence.
Opdycke began his career as a fundraiser and researcher for the Rainbow Lobby, which advocated for ballot access and debate reform in the late 1980’s. In 1992, he joined Dr. Lenora Fulani’s independent campaign for president as a regional fundraising director. In 1994, he participated in the founding of the New York State Independence Party, a state affiliate of the National Reform Party. In 1998, he became the director of development and COS at the Committee for a Unified Independent Party. In 2001 he helped elect Mike Bloomberg as the first independent Mayor of New York City. He founded Open Primaries in 2009 and expanded it nationally in 2014.
He has appeared on Fox News, MSNBC, Al Jazeera, Cheddar TV, PBS, and NBC and his written commentary on the subject of independent politics and electoral reform has appeared in USA Today, Newsweek, The Hill, and dozens of local publications. His monthly column, Brash Tacts, is published on the Fulcrum and syndicated nationally.
He attended the University of Michigan. He lives in Chicago.