Ep. 53: Nathan Smolensky on Independent Voters and Finding Common Ground

On We Made This Political, hosts Lura Forcum and Lauren Hall interview Nate Smolensky, a strategist for independent candidates and author of Common Ground From the Ground Up, about why independent identification is rising (about 45% and growing) and what people want from politics: less pessimism, more authenticity, problem-solving, and respectful engagement. Smolensky distinguishes independents as candidates and voters not beholden to either major party and argues the parties optimize for base-driven, alienating messaging—accelerated since 1994 and amplified by social media—while blocking competition through spoiler narratives. He highlights several independent campaigns polling competitively and explains “second option” strategies in one-party strongholds. The conversation also explores existential fear politics, voter empowerment, and Smolensky’s “collaborative discourse” approach—moving from win-lose argument to learning, “yes-and” additive conversations, and policy discussions that incorporate multiple perspectives.00:00 Independents Can Break Gridlock00:19 Meet the Hosts and Nate01:54 Why So Many Independents02:20 Authenticity Over Policy04:28 What Independent Really Means07:17 Representation Gap and Median Voter09:15 Parties Cater to the Base11:28 Politics as Market Segmentation14:15 How the Strategy Took Hold17:09 Independent Candidates Rising20:00 Spoiler Effect and Vote Shaming28:08 Existential Threat Messaging32:43 Independents as Fulcrum34:27 Earn My Vote Messaging37:20 Collaborative Discourse Explained40:24 Stop Trying to Convert45:20 Zero Sum vs Additive51:42 Yes And Policy Thinking55:48 Moral Beliefs vs Policy58:06 Hope and Where to Find01:00:22 Closing Thanks and OutroResources* Nate’s book Finding Common Ground This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wemadethispolitical.substack.com