CIVPAC Candidate Endorsements and Voting Strategy
CIVPAC supports candidates who advance policies that are economically efficient, fair, respect personal freedom, and are politically realistic. We also place increasing weight on respect for democratic institutions, constitutional norms, and support for an international rules-based order, including stable alliances.
Our candidate endorsements reflect those principles. We do not expect candidates to agree with CIVPAC on every issue. We do look for candidates who demonstrate pragmatic judgment, respect for democratic processes, a willingness to work across party lines where possible, and an ability to govern beyond the demands of a partisan primary electorate.
Current CIVPAC Endorsements
For our current election-cycle endorsements, see:
2026 CIVPAC Candidate Endorsements
We welcome suggestions from readers. If there is a candidate you believe CIVPAC should consider, please contact us and include the candidateâs name, office, state or district, and the reason you believe the candidate reflects CIVPACâs principles.
Why Primaries Matter
For centrist independent voters, primaries often matter more than general elections.
In many states and congressional districts, the general election outcome is heavily shaped by party alignment. That means the primary may be the most meaningful opportunity to influence the quality and ideological direction of the candidates who appear on the November ballot.
Primary rules vary by state. Some states allow independent voters to participate in either partyâs primary. Others limit primary participation to registered party members. Still others use different systems. Voters should check their state election office or another reliable source before registration deadlines. For an interactive list of primary rules by state see:
Open primary / primary rules resource
CIVPAC encourages centrist and independent voters to think strategically, but ethically. We explicitly reject the strategy of attempting to influence the opposing partyâs nomination by supporting candidates perceived as weaker or less electable. Voters should support the candidate they believe would govern most effectively, in the primary where their vote is most likely to improve the quality of representation.
Candidate Signals We Consider
No single organizational affiliation determines whether CIVPAC will support a candidate. However, some affiliations and voting patterns can be useful signals.
Membership in groups such as the Problem Solvers Caucus, Blue Dog Coalition, or similar bipartisan or pragmatic organizations may indicate a willingness to work across party lines or govern from a more centrist position. These affiliations are not endorsements by themselves, but they are relevant information.
Useful resources include:
Problem Solvers Caucus membership
Blue Dog Coalition membership
New Democrat Coalition membership
Leadership Now Candidates
No Labels leaders and congressional network
Future Caucus
Some of these resources, particularly the Blue Dog Coalition and New Democrat Coalition, identify more pragmatic or centrist Democrats rather than bipartisan candidates in the strict sense. The Problem Solvers Caucus is more explicitly bipartisan. CIVPAC treats all of these resources as useful starting points, not as substitutes for independent judgment.
Membership in a bipartisan or centrist-oriented group may indicate a willingness to work across party lines, but it does not guarantee that a candidate is consistent with CIVPACâs principles.
We also consider candidate conduct, voting history, public statements, issue positions, willingness to accept electoral outcomes, and evidence of practical governing judgment.
What Can Disqualify a Candidate
CIVPAC is willing to support candidates from either major party, as well as independent candidates, when they demonstrate the qualities needed for effective and responsible governance.
But some conduct weighs heavily against a candidate.
Examples include:
- hostility to democratic norms, such as falsely challenging the outcome of the 2020 presidential election
- support for or excuse-making on behalf of authoritarian aggression, including Russiaâs invasion of Ukraine
- consistent opposition to bipartisan efforts to help Ukraine defend itself
- extreme ideological positioning that makes practical governance less likely
- unwillingness to accept the legitimacy of political opponents, such as treating lawful opposition as treasonous, inherently anti-American, or not entitled to govern after winning a valid election
- conduct or statements that indicate a lack of seriousness, judgment, or respect for constitutional government
These factors do not create an automatic formula, but they are central to our evaluation.
The Rogues Gallery
CIVPAC maintains a Rogues Gallery for candidates whose conduct, positions, or political behavior are especially inconsistent with our principles.
The purpose is not to punish ordinary disagreement. CIVPAC expects disagreement and welcomes serious debate. The Rogues Gallery is reserved for candidates whose actions or positions raise deeper concerns about democratic norms, institutional responsibility, authoritarian sympathies, extreme ideological commitments, or basic fitness for pragmatic governance.
How We Make Endorsements
CIVPACâs endorsement process is judgment-based rather than mechanical.
We consider:
- the candidateâs policy positions
- the candidateâs respect for democratic institutions and constitutional norms
- willingness to work across party lines
- political realism and electability
- the quality of the likely alternative candidates
- the strategic importance of the race
- the likely impact of the office being sought
In some races, CIVPAC may endorse enthusiastically. In others, we may endorse with reservations. In still others, we may decline to endorse any candidate.
Our goal is not to find perfect candidates. It is to help centrist independent voters identify candidates who are more likely to govern responsibly in a political environment too often dominated by ideological extremes.