Aurora Hons
Staff Writer
Idaho state Rep. Todd Achilles is running for U.S. Senate as an independent in 2026, aiming to bridge political divides by promoting bipartisan cooperation rooted in his military background and legislative experience at the state level.
“I served a couple years on active duty as a tank commander and platoon leader,” Achilles said. “That nonpartisan service to the Constitution is really sort of the foundation of how I approach political office.”
Now, Achilles is running for the U.S. Senate as an independent. At a time when politics often feels split down the middle, he’s trying to make the case that a meaningful space between still exists.
He doesn’t frame himself as someone standing against one party or another. Instead, he talks about stepping outside that structure altogether and working across both sides. “That’s the beauty of this,” he said. “By being the fulcrum as an independent, you have the power to break both the polarization and the grip of parties.”
It’s a simple idea, but not always an easy one to carry out in practice. Running without party backing means fewer built-in resources and less automatic visibility. Still, Achilles argues that independence creates room to listen, adjust, and work across lines that are often treated as fixed.
During his time in the Idaho House of Representatives, he said that approach shaped how he worked with colleagues from both political parties. “I have a reputation in the Idaho House as being one of the most bipartisan in the building,” he said.
That reputation, he believes, could matter even more in Congress, where compromise can be hard to come by. He points to the current political climate, one with frequent gridlock and sharp divisions between Democrats and Republicans, as a reason voters may be open to something different.
At the same time, he acknowledges the challenge. For many voters, party identity still carries significant weight. It’s familiar. It signals values quickly. Running as an independent asks people to look a little closer. Achilles leans into that. He talks less about party labels and more about shared priorities.
One of those is improving public education across the state. “I mean, come on,” he said. “Anything less than the best schools in the country is a cop-out. We need to do so much better in Idaho.”
Zooming out, his campaign reflects a broader question facing voters. What does representation look like in a political system that feels increasingly divided? And is there still room for candidates who don’t fit neatly into party boxes?
Achilles is betting that there is. He keeps coming back to public, not party, service. Whether that message resonates will depend on voters who are willing to move beyond habitual party choice and consider a different kind of candidate. For Achilles, though, the goal is to work with the system. Not on one side or the other. Somewhere in the middle, trying to pull both a little closer.
Where do you stand on the issues ? 2A. Abortion