Category: Centrist Political Endorsements

Centrist Independent Voter Endorses Jessica Killin in Colorado’s 5th District

Colorado general-election endorsement graphic featuring the state outline, the U.S. Capitol and the Centrist Independent Voter compass rose.

Centrist Independent Voter has endorsed Jessica Killin, the Democratic nominee for Congress in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District.

Killin is an Army veteran who describes herself as part of “Team Normal.” We disagree with her on some economic policies, particularly proposals aimed at restricting institutional housing investors and increasing assistance to homebuyers when housing supply remains constrained.

But Killin gets several important things right. She opposes President Trump’s tariffs, recognizes the need to increase housing supply, supports a combination of border security and legal status for otherwise law-abiding immigrants, and believes Congress should reclaim authority it has surrendered to the executive branch.

Her foreign-policy background is also important. Killin served eight years in the Army and worked on NATO expansion and peacekeeping in Europe. She has spoken strongly about the importance of American alliances and NATO to U.S. national security.

Her Republican opponent, Representative Jeff Crank, has taken the other side on several issues that matter greatly to us, including voting against the Ukraine Support Act and against congressional efforts to limit unauthorized presidential military action against Iran.

We do not expect candidates we endorse to agree with us on everything. We do expect them, on balance, to offer the better combination of sound policy, independent judgment and respect for democratic institutions.

We believe Jessica Killin does.

Read our full endorsement of Jessica Killin.

See also Centrist Independent Voter’s 2026 candidate endorsements.

Centrist Independent Voter Endorses Brian Fitzpatrick in Pennsylvania’s 1st District

Pennsylvania endorsement graphic featuring the state outline, U.S. Capitol and Centrist Independent Voter compass rose for the 2026 Brian Fitzpatrick endorsement.

Centrist Independent Voter has endorsed Republican Representative Brian Fitzpatrick for re-election in Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District.

Fitzpatrick is not a perfect match for CIVPAC on every issue. His Democratic opponent, Bob Harvie, is also a serious candidate. But Fitzpatrick has built one of the strongest records of bipartisan cooperation and independent judgment in Congress.

He co-chairs the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, has repeatedly ranked among the House’s most bipartisan members, and has been a particularly strong supporter of Ukraine and America’s alliances. In 2026, he helped force a House vote on additional assistance for Ukraine despite opposition from Republican leadership.

Fitzpatrick has also demonstrated a willingness to disagree with his own party when he believes it is warranted.

Centrist Independent Voter believes that behavior should be rewarded. If we want both political parties to produce more pragmatic, institutionally serious members of Congress, independent voters have to support those who actually govern that way.

Read our full endorsement of Brian Fitzpatrick.

You can also see CIVPAC’s complete list of 2026 candidate endorsements as we continue reviewing general-election races.

Centrist Independent Voter Endorses Seth Bodnar for U.S. Senate in Montana

Centrist Independent Voter endorsement graphic for Seth Bodnar for U.S. Senate in Montana, featuring the Montana State Capitol, mountain landscape, state outline, and CIV compass rose.

Centrist Independent Voter has endorsed independent candidate Seth Bodnar for the U.S. Senate in Montana.

Bodnar combines military service, executive leadership, and a strong commitment to restoring Congress’s constitutional role. He has also built an unusually broad coalition, with support from both prominent Republicans and Democrats.

The endorsement also addresses the central challenge facing independent candidates: the spoiler problem. In Montana, recent polling and bipartisan support suggest Bodnar may actually be the strongest alternative to Trump-aligned Republican Kurt Alme.

The independent candidate is not automatically the spoiler. Sometimes the strategic vote is the independent one.

Read our full endorsement of Seth Bodnar for U.S. Senate.

See all of Centrist Independent Voter’s 2026 candidate endorsements.

Centrist Independent Voter Endorses Dan Osborn for U.S. Senate in Nebraska

Centrist Independent Voter endorsement graphic for Dan Osborn for U.S. Senate in Nebraska, featuring the Nebraska State Capitol, farmland, a red barn, a Nebraska outline, and a red-white-blue compass rose.

Centrist Independent Voter has endorsed independent candidate Dan Osborn for the U.S. Senate in Nebraska.

Osborn is not a perfect policy match for us. We have substantial reservations about parts of his economic agenda, particularly some of his more populist proposals. But his commitment to political independence, opposition to blanket tariffs, support for Ukraine, and emphasis on restoring Congress’s constitutional role make a compelling case.

Republican Senator Pete Ricketts deserves credit for his strong support of Ukraine. But on several important institutional questions—including presidential appointments, war powers, tariffs and voting legislation—he has too often sided with President Trump rather than asserting Congress’s independent responsibilities.

Osborn says he will caucus with neither Democrats nor Republicans and could become part of a small bloc of genuinely independent senators. Such a bloc could help loosen the grip of party leadership and encourage bipartisan governing.

That potential power should be used responsibly—not to pursue pet populist crusades, but to make Congress work better.

Nebraska voters have an opportunity to send the Senate something it badly needs: a genuinely independent voice.

Read our full endorsement of Dan Osborn for U.S. Senate.

See all of Centrist Independent Voter’s 2026 candidate endorsements.

Centrist Independent Voter Endorses Jack Reed in Rhode Island Senate Primary

Centrist Independent Voter has endorsed Senator Jack Reed in Rhode Island’s September 9 Democratic primary for the United States Senate.

Reed combines deep national-security experience with strong support for Ukraine, opposition to economically damaging tariffs and a record of practical bipartisan legislation. His judgment and institutional experience make him the strongest choice in the Democratic primary.

Read the full Jack Reed endorsement

You can also see all of our current endorsements on the 2026 Candidate Endorsements page.

CIV Endorses Chris Coons in Delaware Democratic Senate Primary

Centrist Independent Voter has endorsed Senator Chris Coons in Delaware’s September 15 Democratic primary for the United States Senate.

Coons has built the kind of record we would like to see more often in Congress: serious about American leadership abroad, willing to work across party lines and prepared to confront difficult fiscal and institutional questions rather than simply repeat his party’s preferred talking points.

He has been a strong supporter of Ukraine and America’s alliances, while supporting Israel’s security without treating support for Israel as an endorsement of every decision made by its government. He has also joined bipartisan efforts to address Social Security’s long-term finances and has opposed tariffs that raise costs for American consumers and businesses.

On immigration, Coons combines support for secure borders and enforcement with comprehensive reform and due-process protections. That approach is much closer to Centrist Independent Voter’s view than treating enforcement and humane immigration policy as opposing choices.

Coons faces three Democratic challengers, but none has made a persuasive case for replacing an experienced senator with his record of bipartisan and institutionally serious governing.

Read our full endorsement of Chris Coons for U.S. Senate.

See all of Centrist Independent Voter’s 2026 candidate endorsements.

CIV Endorses Maggie Goodlander in New Hampshire’s 2nd District

Outline map of New Hampshire used to illustrate Centrist Independent Voter’s 2026 endorsement of Maggie Goodlander for Congress.

Centrist Independent Voter has endorsed Representative Maggie Goodlander in the September 8 Democratic primary for New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District.

Goodlander has served in Congress only since January 2025, but she has already demonstrated the institutional seriousness and willingness to work across party lines that Centrist Independent Voter looks for in candidates.

Her background includes service as a Navy Reserve intelligence officer, constitutional-law professor, Justice Department official and adviser to Senators John McCain and Joseph Lieberman. In Congress, she has worked on government transparency, Pentagon accountability, fiscal responsibility and ethics reform.

Goodlander also supports Ukraine, favors immigration reform that combines secure borders with a legal path for long-established undocumented residents, and has signed the Promise to America, whose principles include capitalism, fiscal responsibility, free speech, secure borders and continued American leadership abroad.

We do have an important disagreement with Goodlander over her vote to end $3.3 billion in annual direct military assistance to Israel. But she continues to support Israel’s security and American assistance for Israeli air defense. Her primary opponent, Paige Beauchemin, takes a considerably more restrictive position on American support for Israel and is also challenging Goodlander from the party’s ideological left on several other issues.

No candidate will agree with us on everything. Goodlander offers the stronger combination of experience, institutional judgment, political realism and bipartisan potential.

Read our full endorsement of Maggie Goodlander.

See all of Centrist Independent Voter’s 2026 candidate endorsements.

CIV Endorses Brian Shortsleeve in Massachusetts Republican Governor Primary

Outline of Massachusetts with New England coastal scenery, illustrating Centrist Independent Voter’s 2026 endorsement of Brian Shortsleeve for governor.

Centrist Independent Voter has endorsed Brian Shortsleeve in Massachusetts’s Republican primary for governor.

Shortsleeve is a conservative on fiscal matters but considerably more moderate than many Republicans on social issues. In a state as heavily Democratic as Massachusetts, we think that combination gives him a better chance to govern effectively and work with a legislature that will almost certainly remain controlled by Democrats.

Shortsleeve’s record in business and public administration, his fiscal seriousness and his willingness to depart from Republican orthodoxy make him the stronger choice in the primary.

We do not agree with Shortsleeve on every issue. The full endorsement discusses those differences as well as the reasons we believe they are outweighed by his experience, pragmatism and ability to govern across partisan lines.

Read our full endorsement of Brian Shortsleeve for Massachusetts governor.

See all of Centrist Independent Voter’s 2026 candidate endorsements.

CIV Endorses Gentner Drummond in Oklahoma Republican Governor Runoff

Outline map of Oklahoma used to illustrate Centrist Independent Voter’s 2026 endorsement of Gentner Drummond for governor.

Centrist Independent Voter has endorsed Gentner Drummond in Oklahoma’s August 25 Republican runoff for governor.

Drummond is a conservative Republican, and we disagree with him on several important issues. But his record as Oklahoma attorney general demonstrates something we increasingly value in elected officials: a willingness to exercise independent judgment even when doing so puts him at odds with powerful members of his own party.

That independence has appeared repeatedly. Drummond challenged Oklahoma’s proposed publicly funded religious charter school, sought a new trial for death-row inmate Richard Glossip after concluding that his original trial was unfair, pursued a more cooperative relationship with Oklahoma’s tribal nations, and has continued opposing the proposed Inola aluminum smelter despite President Trump’s support for the project.

We do not necessarily agree with every decision Drummond has made. What matters is that the evidence suggests those decisions are based on his understanding of Oklahoma’s interests and the law rather than simply on presidential or party preference.

That makes him the stronger choice in the Republican runoff.

Read our full endorsement of Gentner Drummond for Oklahoma governor.

See all of Centrist Independent Voter’s 2026 candidate endorsements.

Centrist Independent Voter Endorses Todd Achilles for U.S. Senate in Idaho

Centrist Independent Voter has endorsed independent candidate Todd Achilles for the U.S. Senate from Idaho.

Achilles is challenging longtime Republican Senator Jim Risch. With the Democratic nominee no longer in the race, Achilles is now the principal alternative to Risch in November.

There is much to like in Achilles’s background and platform. He is an Army veteran, former technology executive, public-policy teacher and former member of the Idaho House. He takes the federal debt seriously, supports legal immigration alongside border enforcement, defends personal freedoms and favors reforms intended to make Congress more accountable.

We also disagree with him on several issues, including parts of his tax, economic and political-reform agenda.

But the most important reason for our endorsement goes beyond Achilles himself.

The Fulcrum Caucus

Achilles is working with several other independent Senate candidates to create what they call a Fulcrum Caucus. Rather than automatically joining either major-party caucus, these senators would organize as an independent bloc.

In a closely divided Senate, even a small number of independent senators could hold the balance of power. They could use that leverage to encourage bipartisan legislation, strengthen congressional independence and require both parties to negotiate over how the Senate is organized.

The idea resembles the strategy Charles Wheelan proposed in The Centrist Manifesto: elect enough centrist senators that neither major party can govern without dealing with them.

We have long regarded some version of this approach as one of the most plausible ways to give centrist and independent voters genuine institutional power.

Achilles is a long shot in strongly Republican Idaho. But endorsements should identify candidates who offer a better path to responsible government, not simply predict who is most likely to win.

Read our full endorsement of Todd Achilles for U.S. Senate.

See all of Centrist Independent Voter’s 2026 candidate endorsements.