While Democrats struggle to forge a winning political formula and Republicans hurry to fall in line with a hyper-aggressive White House, we wanted to take a moment to acknowledge there are still some in D.C. who are willing to stand on their own, regardless of which direction the political winds blow.

With the 2026 midterms just 14 months away, most of Washington already seems gripped by electoral calculations. Fundraising events, polling tweaks and party messaging are in overdrive. In this atmosphere, it’s easy to assume that Capitol insiders act only in accordance with their poll numbers or partisan strategy.

That’s precisely why a few genuinely independent voices matter all the more.

Often, they’re the only things keeping either side from going too far.

Kentucky has produced perhaps the most consistent GOP outsiders. U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, with his libertarian streak, and U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, famous for voting “no” when everyone else votes “yes,” have made a habit of putting transparency and restraint above political comfort. Massie’s recent alliance with California Democrat Ro Khanna to force a floor vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act shows what taking a stand can look like — and why it so often puts a target on your back. Paul, for his part, has openly criticized the administration’s choice to take a 10% ownership stake in Intel and opposed Trump’s budget bill.

Kentucky may be producing the most consistent GOP outsiders, but Congress has a handful of members — left, right and independent — who aren’t afraid to go it alone. The common thread isn’t ideology, but independence from party leadership and a willingness to say no.

U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican, has cultivated a reputation as a true centrist. A retired Air Force general, Bacon has repeatedly bucked party pressure — calling for Defense Secretary Hegseth’s ouster during the “Signalgate” controversy and pushing back forcefully against Trump-era tariff and Ukraine policy decisions. Bacon has opted not to run again in 2026, choosing instead to leave on his own terms.

And targeting is a real concern. Trump has made no secret that he’ll be seeking retribution within his own party against those who cross him. There was a time on Capitol Hill when Democrats and Republicans hashed out legislation substantively in committees. Being a moderate member of each party meant something concrete in terms of policy. Today, there are some who cultivate brands as moderates, but won’t vote to buck party leadership if it makes a difference to the outcome of a legislative initiative (or confirmation of an appointment).

Still, it is possible to hew to consistent principles. Rand Paul and his unwillingness to vote for increases in the federal debt limit is an example.

From the left, Bernie Sanders is another, for example opposing the $700 billion Wall Street bailout during the financial crisis, arguing it rewarded reckless banks while doing little for ordinary Americans. Like him or not, he’s been consistent on the issues he’s championed for decades. He’s recently chastised his own party, saying they have “abandoned working-class people.”

We haven’t agreed with every position these politicians have taken — not by a long shot. But we most certainly applaud their willingness to stand up for what they think is right even if it means standing alone — and criticizing their own side.

We’re not naive. We understand that in many ways, politics is a popularity contest — literally. If you don’t get the votes, you lose the job, and even the most honest politicians have to pick their spots. That’s what makes brave stances all the more laudable.

“Attitude reflects leadership,” or so the saying goes.

Too often in today’s politics, leadership isn’t about doing what’s right so much as it’s about doing what will score wins for political parties.

We have our own principles here on the board, and they’re worth repeating here. We believe in limited government; maximum individual responsibility; and minimum restriction of personal liberty, opportunity and enterprise. Values too often drowned out in today’s factional battles.

Knowing what we believe is one of the only ways we can discern what to think about the current events we discuss on these pages.

And we believe this: Individuality and independence are good things. Strict adherence to party ideology often leads to bad policy outcomes, something our predecessors foresaw and warned against.

Of his misgivings about political parties, James Madison wrote in Federalist No. 10, “The public good is disregarded in the conflicts of rival parties, and measures are too often decided, not according to the rules of justice … but by the superior force of an interested and overbearing majority.”

In other words, true leadership requires rising above factional pressure.

With voters facing another election cycle full of soundbites and party-line pledges, it’s worth celebrating the few in our national politics — and their numbers are declining all the time — willing to stand apart from the crowd.

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