Primary Buzz DISCUSSIONS SERIES

Independents have the numbers – 48% according to CNN. But not the Narrative. Democrats and Republicans dominate Congress. They control the political machinery, the money and the pathways to power.  They run the show. 

What would happen if independents crashed the party?

Join Open Primaries President John Opdycke for a conversation with former U.S. Senator Joe Manchin and Adam Brandon, Senior Advisor to the Independent Center and former president of FreedomWorks, about a new effort to recruit, support and elect independent candidates to Congress.

The challenge is enormous. Independent candidates have never had anything close to the infrastructure enjoyed by the two major parties.

Manchin and Brandon want to change that — and 2026 is the test.

Can independent candidates raise the money, build the connective tissue, overcome partisan gaslighting and win the races needed to break through?

And if they do, could even a handful of independent members change the balance of power in Washington?

This isn’t just about electing a few candidates. It’s about a fundamental question:

Can millions of independent voters finally translate their numbers into political power?

Join John Opdycke, Joe Manchin and Adam Brandon for a provocative conversation about the independent movement, the 2026 elections and what it would take to break the two party monopoly on political power.

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