<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0oGJBa_1Gs0YV0800" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0oGJBa_1Gs0YV0800" width="1440" height="1439" ><figcaption>Emily Marburger has been named the new executive director of the Montana Democratic Party. Courtesy photo</figcaption></figure>Montanans have always been an independent-minded bunch. We don't much care for being told what to think, who to vote for or how to run our lives. But there's a big difference between thinking independently and believing that running as an independent is some magic ticket to winning an election.This November, that theory was put to the test.In Nebraska, South Dakota and Idaho, Democrats stepped aside to make room for independent Senate candidates. All three lost. Here in Montana, Seth Bodnar ran as an independent, raised millions of dollars and enjoyed the backing of some of the biggest names in Democratic politics. He lost, too.Four states. Four Republican victories.The problem with this experiment goes well beyond one election.Political scientists warned months ago that Montana Democrats had something important to lose by abandoning their own candidate. Unlike the more red-leaning states like Idaho, Montana still has a Democratic organization with the potential to rebuild, recruit candidates, support legislative races and develop the next generation of statewide leaders.That work doesn't happen by accident. And it certainly doesn't happen when we decide that the best way to rebuild the Democratic Party is to stop running Democrats.What troubles me most about this election isn't simply that the independent experiment failed to deliver a victory. It's how much time, money and energy went toward fighting over whether Montana Democrats should have a Democrat on the ballot at all.Think about that for a minute.While Montana families were struggling, our political conversation became consumed by whether the Democratic nominee should step aside. And for what? Another Republican from Montana is now headed to Washington while states like Texas flipped blue by leaning into “loving their neighbor” and fighting for working families instead of fighting each other.Montana Democrats have won tough races before. We elected Jon Tester to the United States Senate three times. We elected Democratic governors for 16 consecutive years. We did it by building coalitions, showing up in communities and giving Montanans something worth voting for. None of that requires us to abandon our name.Building a strong Democratic Party doesn't mean shutting out independents or Republicans who share our concerns. Quite the opposite. A strong progressive front must make room for every Montanan who believes working families deserve a fair shake, public lands belong in public hands and elected officials ought to answer to the people who put them in office.But building a coalition is not the same thing as surrendering our identity.We have serious work ahead of us. We need to strengthen our county committees, recruit candidates in every corner of Montana and organize in communities where Democrats haven't competed in years. We need to invest in the people who will carry this party forward long after the next election.Above all, we need to stop looking for shortcuts.The independent experiment was supposed to offer a way around our political challenges. Instead, it left us with another Republican victory and a Democratic family that spent too much of the year divided.We won't rebuild this party by running away from it. We'll rebuild it by running together.</div></body>

Block Source: Eastern Progress

Misinformation

Clickbait

Old or repetitive news

Explicit content

Location not relevant

Montanans have always been an independent-minded bunch. We don't much care for being told what to think, who to vote for or how to run our lives. But there's a big difference between thinking independently and believing that running as an independent is some magic ticket to winning an election.

The independent experiment failed | Emily Marburger

NewsBreak

Montanans have always been an independent-minded bunch. We don't much care for being told what to think, who to vote for or how to run our lives. But there

The independent experiment failed | Emily Marburger

Comments / 4