Have we reached the twilight of the two major political parties?
The Big Picture
The parties are no longer based on the principles that made them. A personal relationship with Donald Trump defines the Republicans, while theDemocrats have boxed Americans into a fractured web of identity politics. Many voters don’t see their values represented by either party, and we’re seeing major players leaving on both sides.
At the Independent Center we consistently find that new members have left their legacy party to join the movement. Charlotte, an active member of our community, told us, “Now, as I've gotten older, I don't really feel aligned to either party, so I decided to just become independent…because I feel like both parties have just become too extreme.” Or Luis, who said, “I have become more independent…because I just feel like the Republican party just doesn't have my best interest in mind."
This is not limited to a select few voters. It is reaching big names. A couple of weeks ago, former White House Press Secretary and top advisor to President Biden, Karine Jean-Pierre, declared her independence. (Side note: If you’d like to join our community and declare your independence, tell us here). The next day, following a very public falling out with PresidentTrump, Elon Musk asked his X followers, “Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?” After roughly 5.6 million votes, 80% of respondents said,“yes.”
The sun is setting on both parties.
Zooming In
Voters no longer feel at home in the two-party system because parties have become instruments of politics - machines to leverage personal gain and national sway. Community member Louis said it best: “They really don't listen to what the citizens say and what the citizens think.”
George Washington warned that parties “serve to organize faction, to give it an artificial and extraordinary force; to put, in the place of the delegated will of the nation the will of a party, often a small but artful and enterprising minority of the community; and, according to the alternate triumphs of different parties, to make the public administration the mirror of the ill-concerted and incongruous projects of faction, rather than the organ of consistent and wholesome plans digested by common counsels and modified by mutual interests.”
America craves an independent movement, but, historically the established institutions have crippled every attempt. Our entrenched political system does not welcome new competition.
However, this time it’s different. Independents are waking up, finding their voices, and welcoming some big players into the fold.
Welcome to the independent revolution, Karine and Elon.
Independent Lens
Independent voters have decided the last three presidential elections. In fact, more independent voters showed up to vote than Democrats in November2025. Big players on both sides are voicing their discontent with the two-party system because now, more than ever before, they can see the groundswell of political support and are willing to speak against the system.
This traction puts the independent movement at a crossroads.
When the two parties break down, the independent movement will be defined by what the people are doing right now. If people are passive, the independent movement will be usurped by those seeking power. It will become another political machine used to leverage the masses.
Or, we the people can take responsibility. Get active. Take action (like joining the Independent Center community).
The power of the independent movement is not in high-profile names, long-standing political alliances, or fad agendas. Rather, it lies within us, in consistent and wholesome plans, common counsel, and mutual interests.
It’s time to put the two parties to bed and wake up to the dawn of a true independent movement.
