Independent Democrat

{{for multi|the South African political party|Independent Democrats|the Iraqi electoral formation led by Adnan Pachachi|Assembly of Independent Democrats|nonpartisian politicians in pro-democracy camp of Hong Kong|Independent democrat (Hong Kong)}}

In U.S. politics, an independent Democrat is an individual who loosely identifies with the ideals of the Democratic Party but chooses not to be a formal member of the party (chooses to be an independent) or is denied the Democratic nomination in a caucus or primary election. Independent Democrat is not a political party. Several elected officials, including members of Congress, have identified as independent Democrats.

Active members

=U.S. Congress=

File:Bernie Sanders 2023.jpg|212x212px]]In the 119th Congress, two politically independent U.S. Senators caucus with the Democrats:

Angus King, Maine (2013–present), 72nd Governor of Maine (1995–2003){{Cite news |last=Gallagher |first=Noel |date=February 18, 2015 |title=For Maine's Sen. Angus King, moderate stance, unpredictability paying off |url=https://www.pressherald.com/2015/02/18/sen-angus-king-builds-a-reputation/ |access-date=July 6, 2024 |work=Portland Press Herald}}
Bernie Sanders, Vermont (2007–present), U.S. Representative from VT-AL (1991–2007){{Cite web |last=Qiu |first=Linda |date=February 23, 2016 |title=Is Bernie Sanders a Democrat? |url=https://www.politifact.com/article/2016/feb/23/bernie-sanders-democrat/ |access-date=July 6, 2024 |website=PolitiFact}}

= State Legislators =

File:Alyse Galvin (cropped).jpg]]

File:Megan Hunt bio.jpg|188x188px]]

There are eight politically independent state legislators that caucus with the Democrats or consistently vote with the party:

Alyse Galvin, Member of the Alaska House of Representatives (2023–present){{Cite web |title=Alyse Galvin |url=https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/directory/alyse-galvin/ |access-date=July 6, 2024 |website=Iowa State University: Archives of Women's Political Communication}}
Rebecca Himschoot, Member of the Alaska House of Representatives (2023–present){{Cite news |last=Woolsey |first=Robert |date=January 11, 2024 |title=After a blazing start last year, Rep. Himschoot expects a slower legislative pace in second session |url=https://www.kcaw.org/2024/01/11/after-a-blazing-start-last-year-rep-himschoot-expects-a-slower-legislative-pace-in-second-session/ |access-date=July 6, 2024 |work=KCAW}}
Megan Hunt, Member of the Nebraska Legislature (2019–present){{Cite news |last=Dunker |first=Chris |date=May 5, 2023 |title=Nebraska Sen. Megan Hunt ditches Democratic label, registers as nonpartisan |url=https://journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/nebraska-sen-megan-hunt-ditches-democratic-label-registers-as-nonpartisan/article_e0867446-eab8-11ed-bdb3-7397dd2abc3e.html |access-date=July 6, 2024 |work=Lincoln Journal Star}}
Jed Lipsky, Member of the Vermont House of Representatives (2023–present){{Cite web |title=Representative Jed Lipsky |url=https://legislature.vermont.gov/people/single/2024/37385 |access-date=July 6, 2024 |website=Vermont General Assembly}}
Bill Pluecker,{{refn|group=lower-alpha|Pluecker does not officially caucus with the Democrats, but he chairs the Agriculture, Conservation, & Forestry Committee in the Democratic majority and consistently votes with the party.

{{Cite web

|title=Representative Bill Pluecker |url=https://legislature.maine.gov/representative-bill-pluecker

|access-date=July 6, 2024

|website=Maine State Legislature

}}

{{Cite web

|title=2022 Environmental Score Card for the Members of the 130th Maine Legislature |url=https://www.maineconservation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2022-MCV-Scorecard_August-26-2022.pdf

|access-date=July 6, 2024

|website=Maine Conservation Voters

|page=18}}

{{Cite web

|title=Maine Legislative Scorecard Based on the Constitution|url=https://thefreedomindex.org/me/legislator/21230/votes/me-scorecard-2023/pdf/scb/

|access-date=July 6, 2024

|website=Freedom Index

}}

{{Cite web

|title=2023 Legislative Scorecard |url=https://mpascorecard.org/legislators/sldl-44/William-D-Pluecker

|access-date=July 6, 2024

|website=Maine People's Alliance

}}

{{Cite web

|title=Legislative Scorecard |url=https://scorecard.maineaflcio.org/legislators/sldl-44/William-D-Pluecker

|access-date=July 6, 2024

|website=Maine AFL-CIO

}}

}} Member of the Maine House of Representatives (2018–present){{Cite news |date=November 3, 2020 |title=William Pluecker reelected to represent House District 95 |url=https://www.penbaypilot.com/article/william-pluecker-reelected-represent-house-district-95/140436 |access-date=July 6, 2024 |work=Penobscot Bay Pilot}}

Calvin Schrage, Minority Leader of the Alaska House of Representatives (2023–present), Member of the Alaska House of Representatives (2021–present){{Cite web |title=Calvin R. Schrage – House District 25 Representative – Democratic Nominee |url=https://www.elections.alaska.gov/election/2020/General/Schrage,Calvin_HD25_WEB.pdf |access-date=July 6, 2024 |website=State of Alaska Division of Elections}}
Laura Sibilia, Member of the Vermont House of Representatives (2015–present){{Cite web |title=Representative Laura Sibilia |url=https://legislature.vermont.gov/people/single/2024/24023 |access-date=July 6, 2024 |website=Vermont General Assembly}}
Shanda Yates, Member of the Mississippi House of Representatives (2020–present){{Cite news |last=Warren |first=Anthony |date=January 14, 2022 |title='Toxic environment' {{!}} North Jackson lawmaker gives up party affiliation following redistricting vote |url=https://www.wlbt.com/2022/01/14/toxic-environment-north-jackson-lawmaker-gives-up-party-affiliation-following-redistricting-vote/ |access-date=July 6, 2024 |work=WLBT}}

History

= 19th century =

File:Andrew Jackson Hamilton.jpg|189x189px]]

The first member of the United States House of Representatives to identify as an independent Democrat was Zadok Casey of Illinois, who served from 1833 to 1843. Casey was a Jacksonian Democrat before becoming an independent.{{Cite web|url=https://bioguideretro.congress.gov/Home/MemberDetails?memIndex=C000230|title = Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress - Retro Member details}}

In 1848, a candidate for Mayor of Chicago, James Hutchinson Woodworth, labelled himself an independent Democrat to distance himself from what was at the time a corrupt and disorganized Chicago Democratic party organization; he preferred being described as an independent Democrat rather than as a Whig as that party was itself experiencing a transition. Woodworth won the 1848 Chicago mayoral election against Democrat James Curtiss with 59% of the vote. He won re-election with 80% of the vote in the 1849 election. Woodworth later served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives as a member of the Republican Party.{{Cite book |last1=Carbutt |first1=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CBYVAAAAYAAJ&q=%22J.+Carbuff%22 |title=Biographical Sketches of the Leading Men of Chicago |last2=Meredith |first2=Joseph |publisher=Wilson & St. Clair |year=1868 |location=Chicago, IL |pages=149–156}}{{Cite web |title=Chicago Mayors, 1837-2007 |url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1443.html |access-date=July 7, 2024 |website=Encyclopedia of Chicago}}

Andrew Jackson Hamilton of Texas briefly served in the U.S. House of Representatives as an independent Democrat. He later served as the 11th Governor of Texas and became a member of the Republican party.{{Cite book|last1=Greeley|first1=Horace|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tHs0AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA244|title=A Political Text-book for 1860: Comprising a Brief View of Presidential Nominations and Elections: Including All the National Platforms Ever Yet Adopted: Also, a History of the Struggle Respecting Slavery in the Territories, and of the Action of Congress as to the Freedom of the Public Lands, with the Most Notable Speeches and Letters of Messrs. Lincoln, Douglas, Bell, Cass, Seward ... Etc., Touching the Questions of the Day; and Returns of All Presidential Elections Since 1836|last2=Cleveland|first2=John F.|date=1860|publisher=Tribune Association|location=New York|pages=244|language=en}}

= 20th century =

Strom Thurmond of South Carolina was elected to the United States Senate in 1954 and served as an independent Democrat in the 84th Congress until his resignation on April 4, 1956. In November of that year he was elected as a Democrat to fill the vacancy created by his resignation.{{cite web|title=Party Division in the Senate, 1789–Present|url=https://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/history/one_item_and_teasers/partydiv.htm|access-date=2008-04-03|publisher=United States Senate}} Thurmond later became a member of the Republican Party in 1964.

Harry F. Byrd Jr., a senator from Virginia, left the Democratic Party in 1970. He continued to caucus with the Democrats and referred to himself as an independent Democrat.{{cite web |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,942209,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101201212343/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,942209,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 1, 2010 |title=Flight of the Byrd |publisher=Time, Inc. |date=March 30, 1970 |access-date=September 28, 2007 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/senators_changed_parties.htm |title=Senators Who Changed Parties During Senate Service (Since 1890) |publisher=United States Senate |access-date=2007-09-28}}

Patrick Lucey was a Democrat who ran as an independent as a vice-presidential candidate in 1980 with John B. Anderson.{{Cite web |title=Gov. Patrick Joseph Lucey |url=https://www.nga.org/governor/patrick-joseph-lucey/ |access-date=July 7, 2024 |website=National Governors Association|date=3 January 2011 }}

David Orr, who served as Mayor of Chicago briefly in 1987, entered politics as an independent Democrat.{{Cite news |last=Dardick |first=Hal |date=June 21, 2017 |title=Cook County Clerk David Orr won't seek 8th term |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2017/06/21/cook-county-clerk-david-orr-wont-seek-8th-term/ |access-date=July 7, 2024 |work=Chicago Tribune}}

= 21st century =

File:Joe Lieberman official portrait 2 (cropped 2).jpg|177x177px]]

File:(03-14-19) NY State Senator Diane Savino during Senate Session at the NY State Capitol, Albany NY (cropped).jpg]]

File:Evan McMullin October 2019.png]]

After failing to be re-nominated in the 2006 Democratic primary, U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut created a new party called the Connecticut for Lieberman party. He had lost the nomination to his own seat to Ned Lamont by a 52% to 48% margin. Lieberman won the general election with 49.7% of the vote to Lamont's 39.7%.{{Cite web |date=November 7, 2006 |title=Vote for United States Senator |url=https://www.business.ct.gov/sots/register-manual/section-viii---old-version/vote-for-united-states-senator-2006 |access-date=July 7, 2024 |website=CT.gov}} He had stated while campaigning that if elected he would continue to caucus with the Democrats. Within the week following the election, Lieberman stated that he was "an Independent Democrat, capital I, capital D," and that he had specified as much to the secretary of the Senate.[https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15637887 "MTP Transcript for Nov. 12"], page 3, at Meet the Press site He continued to caucus with the Senate Democrats who had a slim majority in the 110th Congress. Lieberman remained a registered independent until he left Congress in 2013.{{cite web |title=Senators of the 111th Congress: Joseph I. Lieberman |work=United States Senate |access-date=2009-12-05|url=https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?Name=Lieberman&nState=CT}}[http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100423082228/http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp |date=2010-04-23 }}; specify "lieberman" in "Last Name" field

Four members of the New York State Senate–Jeffrey Klein, Diane Savino, David Valesky, and David Carlucci–indicated they would form a similarly designated caucus separate from the Democratic conference in 2011, known as the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC). Following the 2009 New York State Senate Leadership Crisis the IDC formed a coalition government with then New York Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos to give Republicans control of the New York State Senate.{{cite web|last=Aris|first=Hezi|date=January 26, 2011|title=Independent Democratic Conference Members to Chair Legislative Committees|url=https://www.yonkerstribune.com/2011/01/independent-democratic-conference-members-to-chair-legislative-committees|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211155144/https://www.yonkerstribune.com/2011/01/independent-democratic-conference-members-to-chair-legislative-committees|archive-date=February 11, 2017|access-date=February 8, 2017|work=Yonkers Tribune}} In April 2018, the IDC announced they would dissolve and following the primary defeat of six of the eight members in the 2018 elections, returning the New York State Senate to Democratic control in 2019.{{Cite web |last=Wang |first=Vivian |date=April 16, 2018 |title=As Session Resumes, a Democratic Truce in Albany Seems Uneasy |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/16/nyregion/idc-albany-cuomo-klein-democrats.html |access-date=July 7, 2024 |website=New York Times}}

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the longest-serving independent politician in congressional history, was initially denied caucus membership by the Democratic Party, however he eventually caucused with the party in both the U.S House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.{{Cite news |last=Massie |first=Christopher |date=June 11, 2015 |title=Despite Claims, Bernie Sanders Hasn't Always Caucused With Democrats |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/christophermassie/despite-claims-bernie-sanders-hasnt-always-caucused-with-dem |access-date=July 7, 2024 |work=Buzz Feed News}} He has criticized the Democratic Party from a socialist perspective, though sought the Democratic nomination for president in 2016 and 2020.{{Cite news |last1=Detrow |first1=Scott |last2=Taylor |first2=Jessica |date=February 19, 2019 |title=Bernie Sanders Launches 2020 Presidential Campaign, No Longer An Underdog |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/02/19/676923000/bernie-sanders-enters-2020-presidential-campaign-no-longer-an-underdog |access-date=July 7, 2024 |work=NPR}}

U.S. Senator Angus King served as Governor of Maine from 1995 to 2003, and was the only Independent governor in the United States during that period. He positioned himself as a centrist during his tenure, and later ran for Senate in 2012 on the same premise. He has caucused with Senate Democrats since 2013, and briefly considered caucusing with Republicans after the 2014 Senate elections.{{cite web|url=http://www.wcsh6.com/story/news/politics/2014/11/05/senator-king-caucus-democrats/18548955/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20141105223559/http://www.wcsh6.com/story/news/politics/2014/11/05/senator-king-caucus-democrats/18548955/|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 5, 2014|title=Senator King to caucus with Democrats|publisher=WCSH|date=November 5, 2014|access-date=November 5, 2014}}

In the 118th Congress, two senators elected with the Democratic Party switched their affiliations to independent. U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona was elected as a Democrat in 2018, switching her affiliation to Independent in December 2022, effective upon commencement of the 118th Congress. She opted to caucus with neither party, while maintaining her seniority and committee assignments through the Senate Democratic Caucus.{{USCongRec|2023|S22|January 3, 2023}} Sinema did not seek re-election in 2024.{{Cite news |last=Warburton |first=Moira |date=March 5, 2024 |title=Independent Kyrsten Sinema will not seek reelection to US Senate |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/independent-kyrsten-sinema-will-not-seek-reelection-us-senate-2024-03-05/ |access-date=July 7, 2024 |work=Reuters}} U.S. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia was elected as a conservative Democrat in 2010, and re-elected to subsequent terms in 2012 and 2018. Prior to his retirement in 2024, he switched his afflilation from Democratic to Independent, while caucusing with Democrats for the remainder of the 118th Congress.{{cite news |last1=Svitek |first1=Patrick |title=Manchin changes party registration to independent, fueling speculation |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/05/31/joe-manchin-independent-registration/ |newspaper=Washington Post |date=1 June 2024|access-date=7 November 2024 }}

U.S. Congressional candidates Cara Mund, Evan McMullin, and Al Gross have all run as independents while receiving endorsements or support from their respective states' Democratic Parties in traditionally Republican states.{{Cite news |date=September 6, 2022 |title=Ex-Miss America Mund's entry pushes Dem out of ND House race |url=https://apnews.com/article/abortion-2022-midterm-elections-entertainment-north-dakota-cara-mund-77c7cedc8f787572ee20ae3e1f12db99# |access-date=July 7, 2024 |work=AP News}}{{Cite news |last=Cole |first=Devan |date=April 25, 2022 |title=Utah Democrats throw support behind independent Evan McMullin to take on Mike Lee |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2022/04/24/politics/utah-democrats-evan-mcmullin-mike-lee/index.html |access-date=July 7, 2024 |work=CNN}}{{Cite news |last=Mueller |first=Eleanor |date=November 11, 2020 |title=GOP's Sullivan defeats Gross in Alaska Senate race |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/11/alaska-senate-election-results-2020-433574 |access-date=July 7, 2024 |work=Politico}}