Paul Rieckhoff records before sunrise on the morning after — and cuts through the celebration with a no-BS, intelligence-grade read on what actually happened. Yes, Democrats rolled: the House, likely the Senate, Troy Jackson knocking off Susan Collins in Maine, Talarico in Texas, Brown over Husted in Ohio, Annie Andrews in South Carolina. But Democrats are only 27% of the vote. Republicans are 27%. Independents are 45% — and we decided every one of these races. This wasn’t a blue wave. It was an anti-Trump wave, powered by an independent tsunami.
Paul walks through the independent veteran candidates from IVA — Bodnar, Osborn, Bangs, Achilles, Bob Chew, Ty Pinkins in a Mississippi race still too close to call, Bill Hill fighting for Alaska’s lone House seat — and why winning the race was never the only point. He names the next danger zone: a cornered Trump with the most powerful military in history and 70 days until Democrats are sworn in. He calls on disenfranchised Republicans and burned-out Democrats to declare their independence, previews next week’s Veterans Day conversation with Governor Wes Moore, and makes the case for merging Veterans Day and Election Day into one national holiday. Righteous anger, patriotic hope, and a clear-eyed look at what comes next.
In this episode
- Why the blue wave was really an independent tsunami — Dems 27%, Republicans 27%, independents 45% of the vote
- Closed primaries in New York leaving only one name on the ballot for some offices — and what it looks like downstream
- Troy Jackson knocking off Susan Collins in Maine, Talarico in Texas, Brown over Husted in Ohio, Annie Andrews in South Carolina
- The 70-day danger window: Trump as a cornered animal still holding the most powerful military the world has ever seen
- Where the independent veteran candidates landed — Bodnar, Osborn, Bangs, Achilles, Bob Chew — and why showing up moved the ball
- Mississippi separated by as few as 50 votes, with independent Ty Pinkins in the mix, and Bill Hill fighting for Alaska’s lone House seat
- 258 veterans ran in federal midterms, up 21% from 2024 — including Cait Connolly taking down Mike Lawler in NY-17
- A direct appeal to disenfranchised Republicans and burned-out Democrats: “declare your independence”
- The pitch to merge Veterans Day and Election Day into one national holiday to honor service and boost turnout
- A preview of next week’s Veterans Day conversation with Maryland Governor Wes Moore
