Another fun conversation on Bangert’s Substack. This time on the March 24th, 2026 piece: Trump endorses Alting, 16 others ahead of Indiana Senate primaries
Zachary Baiel
Mar 25, 2026
Thanks for the updates, Dave. I wonder why Marlena Edmondson is running as a Democrat if she is wanting to represent Hoosiers and not a political party. I’ll reach out.
“Hoosiers have shared that they need someone to represent them, not special interests, not an administration, and not a political party. I’m here as a social worker ready to advocate for Hoosiers and Hoosiers only.”
Angel Valentín, Wabash Township Trustee
March 25, 2026
Hey. I think that’s referencing being somebody that won’t make decisions because their political party or a leader of their political party says so. There’s plenty of examples of people who make up their own decisions. Like for example, Sen. Deery voted against redistricting despite threats from LG Micah Beckwith and Trump. Or Rep. Campbell voting for the Township reform bill, which almost all Democrats in the House opposed.
Zachary Baiel
March 25, 2026
Good evening Angel. Thanks for the response.
I can see that as one possible meaning. I don’t think voting one way on a single bill is indicative of an elected official bucking their party. Were they thrown out? Or can they still participate in the machinery?
Let me know when partied elected officials are actively lobbying against their party’s interests and changing votes. Then we’ll have something to talk about.
With yourself running Angel, as a voter, what’s the representative benefit of voting for someone who is running under a party that says, “Hoosiers have shared that they need someone to represent them, not…a political party.”
I think it leads to confusion about a person’s clarity on the question of party politics. One must ask where that line of deviation is drawn. How often will it be crossed? And does it move when the pressure campaigns turn on the heat? And so on.
Why not declare the ultimate independence in thought and run as an independent?
Mike Dwyer
April 2, 2026
The reality is, in most cases, an candidate that doesn’t have a party affiliation has no chance of winning.
So people run as a Democrat or Republican and say “I will vote the way my constituents want, not what the party says”.
Then it is us to hold their feet to the fire on those statements.
Zachary Baiel
April 2, 2026
Hello Mike. Thanks for joining the conversation.
I don’t think being an independent (someone who is free of party affiliation) gives you a zero percent change of winning. I know you were being hyperbolic.
From Independent Indiana (https://www.independentindiana.org/):
“In the past two elections, 244 independent candidates got on the ballot in partisan races. 52% of them won.”
That’s 2% better than any two-party race.
And it isn’t just what the candidates say, it’s everything they do and don’t do. It’s all political. And when you are running as a representative of a party, there are social and political pressure placed upon you for the very reason that you are running as a representative of that 527 non-profit organization.
The Democrats and Republicans, after all, are nothing more than tax-exempt legal entities.
It’s one thing to say that you are running as a Democrat or Republican and you will uphold the party, its values, its platforms, etc. It’s completely another to run as a Democrat or Republican and say you will not uphold the party, its values, its platforms, etc. and will instead uphold your constituents values and will.
To the latter, I question why run as a party person at all? Don’t bend yourself, your values, your principals to lowest common denominator of a 527 non-profit organization. Stand tall as yourself.
And I agree with the underlying point of your last statement: don’t limit our political lives to the ballot box. Each and every day we need to be holding our elected and appointed officials accountable for what they do and don’t do in the name of the Public’s interest and will.
The alternative is a path to ruin.
