Independent Veterans of America, a newly-formed national advocacy group focused on identifying and organizing independent veteran candidates for public office, recently announced its endorsement of nine candidates running for city, state, and federal races.
In a press release this month, Independent Veterans of America unveiled its first round of 2024 candidate endorsements, backing nine candidates in six states. These candidates will receive funding, voter data, technology training, and additional campaign tools through the organization, which notes on its website that it is partly powered by GoodParty.org, another pro-independent candidate advocacy group. The endorsed candidates include:
- Navy veteran Dan Osborn for U.S. Senate in Nebraska
- Army veteran Shelane Etchison for North Carolina’s ninth congressional district
- Navy veteran Travis Endicott for Mayor of Ridgecrest, California
- Army veteran Nick Batter for the Nebraska State Legislature
- Marine Corps veteran Tyrell Hicks for the Florida State Legislature
- Army veteran James Bledsoe for Raleigh City Council in North Carolina
- Navy veteran Eric Faulkner for Temecula City Council in California
- Army veteran Craig Evenson for Deuel County State Attorney in South Dakota
- Air Force veteran Jason Taylor for Learning Community Coordinating Council in Gretna, Nebraska
“These independent candidates represent hope for all Americans. They also represent a threat to both the Democrat and Republican parties and our country’s badly broken, hyper-partisan political system. This is the most impressive, most committed and most serious group of independent candidates ever fielded,” IVA founder Paul Rieckhoff said in the press release.
As part of IVA’s endorsement criteria, all candidates must be veterans and either independent or unaffiliated in their respective races. The application also asked why candidates chose to run outside of a party, how they would support other independents—such as backing open primaries—and if they would pledge to run honorable, respectful, and positive campaigns.
The organization also noted that it will continue to accept endorsement applications for the current election cycle, as well as those applications for the 2025 and 2026 elections.
Founded this summer by Rieckhoff—an Army veteran who is also behind the nonprofit Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America—IVA aims to “identify, inform, unite, support and elect independent veteran candidates for public office at all levels.” The organization does not plan to be involved in the presidential race this cycle, though it notes that may change for future presidential races.
To achieve its goals, the organization has focused on a six-point plan that includes recruiting, supporting, and endorsing candidates. Earlier communications indicated that IVA intends to field 250 candidates this year, focusing primarily on local races. The group also hopes to eventually create an Independent Veterans Caucus in Congress and one day elect a veteran as President of the United States.
IVA held its first national event in New York City this month, organizing a “Celebration of Service” on September 11. Several of the recently endorsed candidates, including Osborn, Etchison, and Hicks, attended as speakers alongside Andrew Yang of the Forward Party. A full video recording of the event is available here.
“We were either dumb or evil enough to let ourselves be used as jackboots of the state, now we want you to give us control of the state ourselves pretty please.”
How about no.
Including the endorsement of one single Air Force vet running for the lowest of the offices listed, is a cute inclusivity token though.