Dave Bushaw, Independent candidate for US Congress in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, has been sworn in as a Board Member to the Independent Candidate Network (ICN), a national organization that advocates for and supports electing Independent candidates to federal office.
“I’m ready to help lead this fight at the national level against a two-party duopoly that simply does not prioritize the needs of everyday working people,” said Bushaw. “The two-party system isn’t broken: it’s working exactly as intended – rigged to benefit and protect the ultra-wealthy and politically connected. We intend to break through that system.”
On their website, ICN says it aims to support electing ‘Independent, nonpartisan and unaffiliated candidates from across the country and across a broad range of the political spectrum to the House of Representatives in 2026.’
ICN says it has identified and recruited members running as Independent candidates for Congress across the country, including in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and other states. Some candidates have more conservative policies, while others trend progressive. A full list of candidates can be found on their website.
“Candidates from across the political spectrum and across the US have come together and agree that specific issues must be addressed if we want Congress to start working for everyday people,” says Bushaw. “Especially today, when cultural flashpoints in the news pull us in every different direction – we need to come together where we do agree if we want to get anything done.
“We need to focus our fight on the corrupt two party system in Washington and their billionaire owners that keep getting them elected,” Bushaw continues. “Their priorities are not the priorities of everyday Americans, and it shows in every decision they make in Congress. We change that by electing people to Congress that live in the real world. Then, we can have a conversation like adults in the room about the rest of these issues where we disagree.”
Bushaw notes that, “In Iowa, Independent candidates have until August to turn in their ballot access signatures. There’s three other districts in Iowa and plenty of time for potential candidates to collect the 1,726 signatures needed to appear on the November 2026 ballot. I can show them how to start their campaigns. In November, Iowa could send a full slate of Independents to Washington to clean House.”
