NEW EPISODE · AUGUST 7, 2026 · EP 594
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Vol. V · No. 594Saturday Edition
Righteous MediaSince 1776. Est. 2019

The Michael Smerconish Program: Paul Rieckhoff on 3rd Party Candidates After New Hampshire

The Brief

→ Four things from today’s episode
01

Mamdani's Board of Elections rejects 42,000 open-primaries p. Mamdani's Board of Elections rejects 42,000 open-primaries petitions in New York City

02

Why open primaries are the frontline fight for one million i. Why open primaries are the frontline fight for one million independent New Yorkers

03

Tucker Carlson, MTG, Massie and Joe Kent huddle in Maine. a third party is not independence

04

Abdul El-Sayed's Michigan primary win and the Democratic civ. Abdul El-Sayed's Michigan primary win and the Democratic civil war between moderates and the DSA

Independent voters, like the two of us, played a powerful role in the New Hampshire primary, driving support for Nikki Haley and Dean Phillips. Neither won. But both overperformed and showed the challenges both Trump and Biden will face this November if they are indeed the Democratic and Republican nominees.

Could 2024–finally–be the year in which independent voters get some respect? Or will they continue to suffer the same fate as Rodney Dangerfield in a political culture driven by partisan actors with unlimited budgets and powerful algorithms?

Read the rest of Paul Rieckhoff’s exclusive Op-Ed on Smerconish.com, “Will Anyone Listen to Independents After New Hampshire?” The Michael Smerconish Program, 02/05/24.