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Democrat Pols Flee Bad Brand, Now Adopting ‘Independent’ Label

This article originally appeared on WND.com

Guest by post by Bob Unruh

Former party member declared it is now ‘dead.’

The chaos that has enveloped the Democratic party over the past few years is triggering a reaction: Multiple members are abandoning the label and now are describing themselves as independents.

In recent years, since Joe Biden ran a presidential campaign while sitting in his basement, then moved the action strategy into the Oval Office, the Democrat name brand has plunged. The 2024 presidential race, in which candidate Kamala Harris lost by landslide levels to President Donald Trump in both the Electoral College and popular vote. made it worse.

On top of that, there’s developed a major divide within the party between the senior citizens there who have been leading for years, and an outbreak of extremism among younger party participants.

The result has been confirmed in a report in the Washington Examiner.

“Frustrated with their party and its struggles to win back popularity after November losses, several Democratic politicians are trading in their partisan registration cards to seek office as independents,” the report explained.

They are fleeing a party that has plunged in popularity in recent months as it flails around, seeking any messaging besides “but Trump.”

“It’s a trend because the leadership of the Democratic Party is weak, because people are much more able to determine how party lines function, there’s a general sense that the Democrats don’t stand for much, and there’s an embarrassment about it,” explained Hank Sheinkopf, a Democratic strategist who formerly advised Bill Clinton.

One of those on the move is former Florida state Senate Democratic leader Jason Pizzo, who recently described his party as “dead” when he proclaimed his bid for the governor’s office, as an independent.

Longtime Democrat donor John Morgan, of the personal injury firm Morgan & Morgan, assembled his own independent party this year, the report said.

And in Michigan, a battleground state won by President Trump, longtime Democrat powerbroker and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is running for governor as an independent, the report said.

Even Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent who has aligned with Democrats for years, has suggested party members run as independents “in the face of a tainted Democratic brand ‘abandoning’ working-class voters and their values,” the report said.

The report noted that two major “independent” campaigns recently, Al Gross’ challenge to Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska and Dan Osborn’s challenge to Nebraska Republican Sen. Deb Fischer, both failed.

Copyright 2025 WND News Center

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