In Denver, American Independents Seek Unity While Celebrating Progress

Report from the Independent National Convention ‘24

By Liam Sturgess, Investigative Reporter, The Kennedy Beacon

Last week, thousands of independently-minded Americans descended on Denver, Colorado for the fourth annual Independent National Convention, which ran September 17-19. 

Top figures who either attended or spoke at the convention included Christopher Life, Marianne Williamson, Andrew Yang, Del Bigtree, Dennis Kucinich, Dan Osborn, Larry Sharpe and Candace McDonald.

Hosted by United Independents Inc. at the Denver Marriott Tech Center, INC ‘24 featured a diverse lineup of speakers and events, including keynote speeches, movie screenings and workshops, all revolving around the central theme of empowering political independence.

“51% of Americans identify as independent,” reads the INC ‘24 website. “We’re not just declaring independence from the status quo—we're coming to create a new era of politics rooted in maturity, transparency, accountability, and common sense.” 

Marianne Williamson, the presidential candidate and independent thinker, delivered a passionate keynote – a highlight of the convention. “The American people have been played,” declared Williamson, who ran for president in the Democratic primaries in 2020 and 2024. Williamson noted that “all men are created equal” is just as radical a notion today as it was in 1776. But she called on the audience to reject the identity politics that characterize today’s discussions of liberty. “Every generation relives the struggle, some more dramatically than others… We must answer brute force with soul force.”

Marianne Williamson, presidential candidate

A buzz permeated the crowd at the opening session on September 18. As the audience eagerly awaited the start of the festivities, a survey displayed livetime results on the big screen. Questions included “how confident do you feel that the US is ultimately heading in a good direction? How connected do you feel to the independent movement?” and “how happy do you feel right now?” The results indicated that while attendees were generally happy and felt a sense of belonging, a significant number of people didn’t feel connected to the independent movement, and even more didn’t feel proud to be an American.

These polarized results are unsurprising. INC ‘24 comes amid the most volatile presidential election cycle in modern history, which has seen — among other historic events — the Democratic Party’s last-minute replacement of President Joe Biden with his Vice President, Kamala Harris; two assassination attempts on Republican Party candidate, Donald Trump; and a strong showing by a once-in-a-generation independent candidate, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who suspended his campaign one month ago.

This historic moment was acknowledged and celebrated with a prayer, followed by a touching rendition of the national anthem by DPAK.

“We as a country and we as a humanity are at a choice point,” said Christopher Life, founder of United Independents and INC. “We have the ability, if we choose to, to be the founders of what happens next.”

Christopher Life, founder of United Independents and INC ‘24

Predictably, the long list of panels and workshops covered a range of issues familiar to supporters of Kennedy’s presidential campaign and his new Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) coalition. Medical freedom, regenerative agriculture, and ballot access each had multiple turns in the spotlight, along with specialized topics such as “gov tech,” blockchain, spirituality and how to fund a political movement.

In the spirit of independence, not everyone agreed on every issue. “Independent voters are not a monolith,” noted Lucy Caldwell of the Forward Party, who aggressively rejected Kennedy as a viable candidate. In a tense exchange with Team Kennedy lawyer Paul Rossi, Caldwell highlighted the need to avoid building infrastructure around a single individual, focusing instead on ground-up platforms for local offices such as school boards. She also rejected the “populist” label, challenging the premise that all independent voters identify as such. “What do we have in common? We’re not the two major parties everybody doesn’t like,” independent congressional candidate Ron Tupa offered.

Team Kennedy booth in the INC ‘24 exhibition hall

While Team Kennedy set up a booth, Kennedy himself elected not to attend the INC, instead appearing on a MAHA livestream with Calley Means and Charlie Kirk, sponsored by the distinctly-Republican Turning Point USA.

Nevertheless, the impact of Kennedy’s campaign on the independent movement was a recurring theme celebrated even by those who do not personally support his alliance with Donald Trump. 

Del Bigtree, a major health freedom advocate who served as Team Kennedy’s communications director, spoke fondly of his time on the campaign. “It was just an incredible experience,” he said in his main stage speech, fighting back tears. Bigtree noted that Kennedy’s independent run and the movement supporting him had given him a leverage point, which transcends victory over any single issue. “The independent movement is holding the cards to the future of this country.” 

Theo Wilson, a Team Kennedy policy advisor, celebrated Kennedy’s ability to champion the causes that unify the 51% of Americans who identify as independent, and empower them to take the battle on themselves. “We are in a self-rescue program now, but we are all that we got.”

Larry Sharpe, AV24 National Organizing Director (left) and Candace McDonald, AV24 CEO (right)

Among the recurring themes at the conference: the need for effective fundraising to support challenges to the two-party system, whose coffers are limitless. “If you can’t raise money, you can’t make [an] impact,” warned Larry Sharpe, national organizing director for American Values 2024, an independent super PAC that had focused on supporting Kennedy for president. AV24 was a co-sponsor of INC ‘24 and continues to publish The Kennedy Beacon and support independent candidates in future election cycles. Sharpe highlighted the importance of engaging both small and large-dollar donors, the former of which often also serve as a grassroots volunteer network.

As the three-day conference came to a close, the event both celebrated the progress of the independent movement and shone a light on how impactful in can become when key figures such as Kennedy, Williamson, Yang and Libertarian presidential candidate Chase Oliver (who appeared virtually) join hands to find common ground and change the existing, duopoly-controlled system. 

Liam Sturgess is an investigative reporter for The Kennedy Beacon. He is also a writer for the Canadian Citizens Care Alliance and founder of White Rose Intelligence. He was the founding co-host and producer of the Rounding the Earth podcast, and publishes a Substack series called Microjourneys.

Note: this article has been updated as of 4:30PM EDT on September 24, 2024, to clarify that Marianne Williamson ran in the Democratic primaries in 2020 and 2024, rather than as an independent candidate.