New national polling finds broad, cross-party openness to independent candidates, and a large audience that simply hasn't been reached yet.
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Five weeks from the midterms, the campaign season is at its loudest. Ads are everywhere, the stakes feel high, and most races look like a choice between two familiar options. Yet our latest national survey, the fourth in a series we've run since early summer, finds that American voters are still looking for something more.
65% of U.S. adults say they would be likely to vote for a strong, well-funded independent candidate who shared their views and was willing to work with both sides. That's roughly two in every three Americans. It's a few points below the summer high, which is typical as a campaign season intensifies, but across four surveys and four separate samples this number has never fallen below a clear majority.
This isn't a fringe sentiment. It shows up among Democrats (67%), Republicans (63%), and independents (72%) alike. Americans of every political stripe are telling us the same thing: they're open to a candidate who puts problem-solving first.
A large audience that hasn't been reached yet
If the appetite is this strong, why do only about 6% currently plan to vote for an independent in their own district? Part of the answer is simple: most voters haven't met one yet.
About four in ten Americans say they're aware of independent candidates on their 2026 ballot. Another one in five say they'd be interested but haven't heard anything. That group is especially receptive: 77% of them would be likely to support a strong independent. They aren't skeptics waiting to be convinced. They're an audience waiting for an introduction.
For independent candidates, that's an encouraging place to start. Awareness has grown over the course of the summer, and every voter who learns about an independent option joins a pool that is already inclined to listen.
The most common hesitation we hear is a practical one. About a quarter of Americans say their first thought about independent and third-party candidates is that they might act as a "spoiler," pulling votes away from a major-party candidate. That concern has edged up slightly as Election Day approaches, which is natural when the stakes feel close.
It's a fair question, and it deserves a direct answer rather than a dismissal. The good news is that nearly as many Americans see independents positively: as a fresh start that can move the country forward (21%), or as a source of new ideas that push both parties to take on issues they might otherwise overlook (22%). The candidates who do best will be the ones who show voters they are serious and competitive, and explain how they would work with colleagues across the aisle once elected.
This wave we also asked about one of the defining challenges of the coming decade: artificial intelligence and its effects on jobs, privacy, misinformation and safety.
Americans' confidence runs highest in scientists, universities and researchers (62% confident), followed by technology companies (47%). Confidence in government institutions of every kind is more modest.
Most strikingly, three in four Americans (76%) feel that elected officials are more focused on appearing to address AI than on actually addressing it. This isn't a partisan complaint. Democrats (79%), independents (79%) and Republicans (69%) all share it. It reflects a broad, cross-party hope for leadership that delivers practical, workable answers on complex issues.
That hope is exactly where independent candidates can contribute. Candidates who aren't tied to a party platform can focus on bringing people together around solutions, and can work with members of both parties to get them done.
Four surveys into this series, the message from voters is consistent. A majority of Americans are open to independent candidates, and that openness spans every party. Many of them simply haven't heard from one yet. And across the political spectrum, people want leaders who focus on results.
For independent candidates, the opportunity is real, and so is the path forward: reach the voters who are already interested, answer the wasted-vote question with confidence, and show how independence means working with everyone to get things done.
Methodology: AlphaROC conducted a survey of n=1,000 U.S. adults on behalf of Independent Center / Independent Center Voice from September 25–28, 2026. All interviews were conducted online. Survey invitations were distributed randomly, with demographic balances aligned to general population benchmarks. The margin of error is ±3.1 points for the full sample and larger for subgroups. Figures are unweighted.