FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: al.freedman@omc.com
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Independent Center announced the launch of its new Substack platform, beginning with a provocative piece by Co-founder Brett Loyd, the former RNC polling director, arguing that the two major political parties are failing to adapt to a massive, non-partisan surge among American voters.
Loyd’s debut column, “Why the 2026 Midterm Map is Being Rewritten by Independents”, lays out the data behind the collapse of the two-party system, noting that favorability for both major parties has plummeted to just one-third of the population, while a record 45% of Americans now identify as Independent. He contends that the old political math - mobilizing the base and dismissing the middle - is now “obsolete”.
Loyd is uniquely positioned to speak on this shift. As the RNC’s former polling director, his work was instrumental in identifying the very trend of Independent voters that helped propel Donald Trump to the White House in 2016. However, he states that this success only introduced a “profound failure to govern, marked by the reckless chaos and self-dealing of the Trump administration”. Because of the party's subsequent embrace of the administration's destructive conduct in the years since, Loyd has severed all affiliation with the GOP, a decision shared by millions of voters seeking "pragmatic stability".
The Op-Ed highlights current independent candidates - from Alaska’s Bill Hill to Senate leaders like Dan Osborn and Seth Bodnar - who are demonstrating that the political center has found a home. Loyd argues that even a small fraction of Independents entering a narrowly divided Congress will transform majority control from a “coronation into a negotiation”.
QUOTE: “For decades, American politics has operated on inertia, and the public is finally demanding an upgrade,” said Brett Loyd. “When nearly 90% of the country looks at the legislative status quo and says ‘no thanks,’ you don’t have a fringe protest; you have a massive market correction. The map has shifted, the math has changed, and we’re here to ensure the resulting political center has the infrastructure to succeed.”
ABOUT THE INDEPENDENT CENTER: The Independent Center is the backbone organization for the American Independent Voter Movement, dedicated to advancing a political landscape defined by pragmatism, consensus-building, and data-driven solutions.
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The Independent Center is the go-to organization for information, research, and engagement with independent voters, who now make up the majority of the electorate. We represent those who are fed up with partisan politics and feel politically homeless. We believe the future is not red or blue; it’s fiscally responsible, socially inclusive, and free to choose the best options for ourselves, our families, and our communities.