The founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the first veterans’ organization for post-9/11 troops, has a new mission: recruiting politically independent former service members to run for public office.
Paul Rieckhoff, a former Army infantry officer and veterans activist who established IAVA in 2004, announced the creation Tuesday of Independent Veterans of America, or IVA, a nonprofit aimed at recruiting veterans who are registered as independents or are unaffiliated with an established political party and getting them elected.
In a release, Rieckhoff said the push is needed as Americans grow weary of a system that has generated the “same, old, partisan candidates.”
Read Next: Airman Killed and Multiple Injured in Humvee Crash in Montana, Marking Latest Incident at Nuclear Missile Bases
“America is hungry for new leadership with independence, integrity and experience,” Rieckhoff said in a statement. “Independent Veterans of America will provide a new generation of political leaders who are ready to challenge the duopoly, put country over party, and meet this incredibly challenging moment.”
According to a poll conducted by Gallup in January, 43% of American voters identify as independent, while 27% each say they are Democrats or Republicans. More than two decades ago, in 2000, roughly 34% said they were Democrats, 30% described themselves as Republican, and 35% identified as independents.
During an interview Tuesday,…
