Michigan is not Manhattan. That’s the through-line of this one. The Democratic primary in Michigan handed the U.S. Senate nomination to Abdul El-Sayed, a far-left progressive in a state where roughly 17% of voters are independent and Mike Rogers is waiting on the Republican side. Paul Rieckhoff calls it what it is: another gift from a rigged two-party primary system to the MAGA machine, and one more reason the Democrats will not save you. The Bernie-vs-Schumer civil war is nominating candidates who can’t galvanize independents or win general elections — and it’s happening on the biggest stages in the country.
But this episode is also a scoreboard for the independent veteran movement. In South Dakota, Democrat Julian Bedouin dropped out, clearing a one-on-one between IVA-endorsed independent veteran Brian Bengs and Republican Mike Rounds. In Idaho, Todd Achilles is head-to-head with 83-year-old Jim Risch. In Montana, spoiler candidate Alani Bankhead is being called on to step aside for Green Beret and Rhodes Scholar Seth Bodnar. And in Washington’s top-two nonpartisan primary — the fairest system in the country — four independent vets ran while the wildfires burned, and at least two are moving on to November. Michigan is what wrong looks like. Washington is what right looks like. This is the map.
In this episode
- Why Abdul El-Sayed’s Michigan Senate primary win is a gift to Trump in a state that is 17% independent
- The Democratic civil war between Bernie Sanders and Chuck Schumer — and why partisan primaries keep producing candidates who can’t win
- Julian Bedouin drops out in South Dakota, clearing a head-to-head between independent veteran Brian Bengs and Republican Mike Rounds
- Todd Achilles vs 83-year-old Jim Risch: the Idaho independent veteran matchup taking shape
- Why Alani Bankhead needs to drop out in Montana and clear the path for Green Beret and Rhodes Scholar Seth Bodnar
- Washington’s top-two nonpartisan primary explained — and why Paul calls it the fairest system in the country
- Danny Tarkinton’s 49% run for Spokane County prosecuting attorney on a “states no party preference” ballot line — during the wildfires
- Ronald McCoy, Aaron Croft, and Nate Powell — the other three independent veterans who ran in Washington and what their numbers actually mean
- Why 90+ million unaffiliated Americans are a sleeping giant, not a mood — when the rules let them on the ballot
- A look ahead: Brian Bengs returning to the show, and Senator Joe Manchin and his daughter Heather launching a new independent effort
