BIAS BREWING in Kalispell, Montana, may seem an oddly named place for a self-described “radical pragmatist(实用主义者)” to hold a campaign event. Yet on a recent evening in July, Seth Bodnar chose the brewery to make his campaign pitch. “Running as an independent, you upset people on both sides,” he told the crowd. Mr Bodnar (pictured) wants to be Montana’s next senator. He believes Democrats ignore the state and Republicans take it for granted(视为理所当然).
蒙大拿州卡利斯佩尔的“偏见酿造”啤酒厂，对于一个自称“激进实用主义者”的人来说，可能是一个名字古怪的竞选活动举办地。然而在七月的一个傍晚，塞思·博德纳尔选择了这家啤酒厂发表他的竞选宣言。“以独立人士身份参选，你会让两边的人都不高兴，”他对人群说。博德纳尔先生（如图）希望成为蒙大拿州的下一任参议员。他认为民主党忽视了这个州，而共和党则将其视为理所当然。
Mr Bodnar’s campaign is part of a trend. Voters are dissatisfied with America’s two main political parties. Net favourability(好感度) for the Democrats, in particular(尤其，特别), is near a 35-year low. That has created an opening(机会，缺口) for politicians on the far left (see next story), but it is also inspiring a new generation of independents. More congressional candidates have filed to run as independents in 2026 than in any election cycle since at least 2000.(2026年以独立人士身份参选的国会议员候选人数量比至少自2000年以来的任何选举周期都要多。) The campaigns of Mr Bodnar and Dan Osborn, a candidate in Nebraska, are this year’s best test of whether independents can succeed.
博德纳尔先生的竞选是某种趋势的一部分。选民对美国两大主要政党感到不满。尤其是民主党的净好感度接近35年来的最低点。这为极左翼政客创造了机会（见下篇报道），但也激励了新一代独立人士。2026年，以独立人士身份参选的国会议员候选人数量比至少自2000年以来的任何选举周期都要多。博德纳尔先生和内布拉斯加州候选人丹·奥斯本的竞选，是今年检验独立人士能否成功的最佳测试。
Running as an independent is sufficiently difficult that, at least historically, few politicians have deemed(认为，视为) it wise to do so. Independents lack the campaign infrastructure(基础设施) of a party and, in many states, must collect more signatures to earn a place on a ballot. However, aspiring politicians now face a shifting set of odds(不断变化的条件).
以独立人士身份参选难度极大，至少从历史上看，很少有政客认为这样做是明智的。独立人士缺乏政党的竞选基础设施，而且在许多州，他们必须收集更多签名才能获得选票上的位置。然而，有志从政者如今面临着一系列不断变化的条件。
