Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff
Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff
@independentamericans·13.4K subscribers·3.5K videos

Independent Vets Are Spoiling For A Fight. John Opdycke, Paul Rieckhoff, Ty Pinkins & Todd Achilles.

Posted

February 17, 2026

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Four independent veterans are running for US Senate. They could break the two-party system.

Todd Achilles (Idaho) and Ty Pinkins (Mississippi) are two of four military veterans running for Senate as independents in 2026. If they win, they won't caucus with either party—they'll create an independent fulcrum that forces Democrats and Republicans to negotiate on real reforms.

This special collaboration between Independent Americans and Open Primaries features:

• Todd Achilles: Former tank commander, Idaho state rep, tech executive, running for US Senate in Idaho

• Ty Pinkins: 20+ year Army veteran (3 Iraq tours, Bronze Star), Georgetown Law grad, running for US Senate in Mississippi

• Paul Rieckhoff: Founder of Independent Veterans of America, host of Independent Americans

• John Updike: Founder and President of Open Primaries

KEY TOPICS:

• The "spoiler" myth—and how Democrats lose Mississippi every time anyway

• Building an independent fulcrum in a 53-47 Senate

• Why veterans are country-first, not party-first

• Media blackout: How major outlets interview independent candidates then don't mention them

• Ballot access battles and why the two parties make it so hard

• Campaign finance reality for independents

• Executive overreach and Congress's failure to check presidential power

• Dan Osborne's Nebraska breakthrough and what it means for 2026

SUPPORT THESE CAMPAIGNS:

🔗 Todd Achilles: achillesforidaho.com

🔗 Ty Pinkins: typinkins.com

🔗 Independent Veterans of America: independentveterans.org

OPEN PRIMARIES: 🌐 openprimaries.org

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#IndependentAmericans #IndependentPolitics #Veterans #USSenate #ThirdParty #OpenPrimaries #ToddAchilles #TyPinkins #Idaho #Mississippi #DanOsborne #ElectionReform #IndependentVeterans #AmericanPolitics #2026Election

Guests & Subjects Covered

US Senate TheyTodd Achilles IdahoTy Pinkins MississippiIndependent AmericansOpen PrimariesTodd Achilles FormerUS SenateTy Pinkins

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