In a recentpoll, the Independent Center found that the most unifying issue for voters was the “sense that the political system rewards its loudest, most extreme voices while leaving a large moderate bloc to choose between candidates they don't actually support.”
It’s not just lifelong Independents who are critiquing the system. Former Republican Gov. and Sen. Lamar Alexandersaid earlier this year: "Now that we're back to a one-party state again, even though it's a Republican one-party, is that really good for the state? I don't know. But I doubt it."
Across the aisle, former Democratic Gov. and Sen. Joe Manchin wrotethis week: “The parties have so poisoned politics that having a ‘D’ or an ‘R’ next to your name makes it nearly impossible to collaborate
with the other side.”
The two-party system is leaving voters behind
Tennesseans have bills to pay and kids to raise, and they are exhausted, waiting for Republicans and Democrats to figure out that they need to work together for the sake of Tennesseans. Many voters have stopped holding their breath altogether, and there may be no greater proof than our state’s most recent midterm whereTennessee ranked last in the nation in voter turnout.
As I have made over 350 stops across this state with plans to wrap up my 95-county tour this weekend, I have heard one consistent, unprompted message. Voters tell me they cannot vote for U.S. Sen. Blackburn, and they will not vote for a Democrat.
Tennessean columnist Andrea Williamswrote last December: "With no clear strategy and losses continuing to mount, finding a candidate with the potential for nonpartisan appeal is the only viable approach.”
An independent candidacy is gaining momentum
At a campaign event in Hickman County this week, a voter said, “If you weren’t running in this race, Lauren, I’m not sure what I would do. I think I would just skip over the governor’s race and keep going down the ballot.” Several other voters agreed.
My campaign has successfully raised more funds than any Independent candidate in recorded Tennessee history, while growing a statewide organization to more than 50 roles, not including our network of volunteers across the state. Comparatively, another self-funded Independent has dumped millions of his own dollars into TV ads to draw votes from Senator Blackburn.
Independent candidates rarely draw this kind of attention,let alone calls to withdraw. Therefore, this campaign and our voter coalition have taken the most uninspiring gubernatorial election of my lifetime, something previously considered to be an inevitable outcome, and now turned it into a truly competitive race for Tennessee’s future.
This begs the question as to President Donald Trump’s visit to Knoxville. Why Tennessee? Why now? Why attend with Sen. Blackburn, whom he originally askednot to run for governor?
I’ve said to my colleagues in Washington, D.C., for years, “Don’t count Tennessee out.”
Tennessee can show the country another way
We are a state full of thoughtful, values-oriented voters. We want to be the people who carry on the legacy of our greatest heroes, from training civil rights leaders to winning women’s suffrage to sending the Tennessee Volunteers.
In moments where our nation was faltering, Tennessee cast the vision for a better future. And in another era of national political crisis, I can see that we are poised to help our country get back on track once again.
Tennesseans were ready; we just needed a candidate. I will continue working tirelessly through the final stretch of this election as we show our country what is possible on the other side of our political division.
You deserve to vote for something, not just against someone. This is the United States, and there is nothing more American than being Independent.
Lauren Pinkston is an independent candidate for Tennessee governor, co-founder of Kindred Exchange and a former Lipscomb University professor.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why independents are shaking up Tennessee's governor race | Opinion
