Former West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, who left the Democratic Party to become an independent two years ago, is launching a new group called the Independent Leadership Council alongside his daughter, Heather Manchin. The initiative aims to build a viable pathway for independent candidates to win seats in Congress, outside the traditional two-party system, at a time when a growing share of Americans no longer identify with either major party.

The council merges Heather Manchin's organisation, Americans Together, with the Independent Center, and will offer prospective candidates fundraising support, campaign infrastructure and data-driven analysis to identify winnable districts. Backers, including senior adviser Seth Cohen and former FreedomWorks leader Adam Brandon, have already secured eight-figure fundraising commitments and gathered around 40 people, among them independent Congressman Kevin Kiley and Iowa candidate Michael Bridgford, at a summit at West Virginia's Greenbrier Resort. Organisers point to polling showing 45% of Americans identify as independents, with the group also requiring that any independents it helps elect refuse to caucus with either Democrats or Republicans once in office.