Why do I have to name a party? I thought this was a free country

Many Democrats and Republicans running for Congress this year are hiding their party affiliations.

About one-third of Democratic and GOP candidates in battleground House races do not openly reveal which party they represent, according to a review by The Hill of candidate websites.

The Hill analyzed the homepages and bios of the candidates in races identified by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report as competitive.

The results indicate that Democrats are feeling the wind at their faces this midterm election and that the anti-establishment mood of the electorate has GOP candidates wary of embracing their party as well.

While most campaign experts anticipate a Republican wave in November, they point out that polls show the Republican Party is still suffering from President George W. Bush’s unpopular last term.

Republican nominees were slightly more likely than their Democratic opponents to display their party affiliation on their homepages. Of the 46 races reviewed, 22 Republicans and 19 Democrats made some reference to their party affiliation on the homepage of their campaign website.

For example, Democratic Rep. Glenn Nye of Virginia bills himself as “an independent voice, for a change.” House GOP hopeful Alan Nunnelee’s (Miss.) website says he hopes to be a “true conservative” in Washington.

The numbers reflect a sharp turnaround from the 2006 midterm campaign, in which Democrats took control of both chambers of Congress.

A similar analysis by The Hill in 2006 found that only 25 percent of Republicans in competitive contests displayed their party affiliation on their homepages. Roughly half of Democrats in such contests had their party affiliation on their homepage in 2006.



Among the key Democrats who don’t mention their party on their homepage or bio pages are Rep. Chet Edwards (Texas), a subcommittee chairman whose district was won by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in 2008 with 67 percent of the vote.

 Among Republicans, Rep. Charlie Dent (Pa.) doesn’t mention his party on his homepage or bio page. Dent, whose district was won by President Obama by 13 percentage points in 2008, labels himself an “independent thinker.”

 The Hill’s rundown excludes some House races whose nominees had not yet been determined.

In the most competitive Senate races whose party nominees have been decided, five of nine Democrats and four of nine Republicans showed their party affiliation on either their homepage or bio page.

There are also many candidates running for both the House and Senate who do not mention their party in campaign ads.

New-media strategist Josh Koster said the results stem from an anti-establishment mood that has damaged both parties’ brands. Increased political polarization and growing concerns about the deficit among voters have contributed to that mood, he said. 

“I think the anti-establishment sentiment is causing both sides to downplay the party brand,” Koster said. “The fact that the deficit is on average voters’ minds is causing both sides to react to that.”