# Why some Dems back independent candidates for Senate

An episode of [The NPR Politics Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1057255460), 28 Oct 2026, 15 min.

Audio: https://prfx.byspotify.com/e/play.podtrac.com/npr-510310/npr.simplecastaudio.com/81c2d960-75d6-4dba-9f07-0bfade0db7ce/episodes/567f4643-e463-4499-9180-529769c4eb99/audio/128/default.mp3?awCollectionId=81c2d960-75d6-4dba-9f07-0bfade0db7ce&awEpisodeId=567f4643-e463-4499-9180-529769c4eb99&feed=iDPaKWvZ&t=podcast&e=nx-s1-6020407&p=510310&d=922&size=14754421

The Democratic Party's image in places like Montana and Nebraska isn't great. So, in Nebraska, the state's Democratic Party opted not to run a candidate in the U.S. Senate race, and is backing an independent. In Montana, some Democrats see their party's candidate for Senate as a spoiler, preventing an independent candidate from winning. We look at both races, and what could happen next. This episode: senior political correspondent Tamara Keith, congressional correspondent Barbara Sprunt, and congressional reporter Sam Gringlas. This podcast was produced and edited by Casey Morell and Bria Suggs. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

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