About the IP: History
History of the Minnesota Independence Party
In 1992, a group of Minnesota citizens established a brand new political party—the Independence Party. These bold, visionary citizens were not part of the political elite, captains of industry, or members of the idle rich looking to fill some time. They were ordinary citizens whose disgust with constant budget deficits, big money special interest influence, and extreme ideological dominance forced them to action.
They started a political party grounded in core principles of direct service and accountability to the people, whose government can and will budget sensibly and deliver within its means, and whose endorsed candidates and elected representatives serve the people first, first, and first. This party would not be governed by extremists or big (special interest) money, but by moderate, common sense approaches to public policy issues.
In 1994, in just its second year of life, the establishment was stunned when Independence Party candidate Dean Barkley ran for U.S. Senate and earned enough votes to qualify the party for major party status. This was a remarkable achievement for such a nascent political movement.
The Independence Party has retained its major party status ever since by earning at least 5% in state-wide elections. Jim Gibson did it in 2000, Tim Penny earned 17% in 2002, and Peter Hutchinson in 2006.
In 1998 Jesse Ventura was elected governor.
This established a high-water mark for state-wide electoral success. Governor Ventura proved triumvirate government can work by establishing a light rail transportation system, reformed Minnesota’s tax system, increased funding to education, and returned surplus state budget money to taxpayers. All these solutions had languished for decades or had no modern day precedent.
With every election cycle the Independence party endorses more and more credible, authentic candidates for local, state, and federal office. Despite huge disadvantages running outside the political and special interest establishment, more and more votes are earned by Independence Party endorsed candidates through their innovative and moderate approaches to long term change and improvements.
From Steve Minn to Dean Barkley, from Tim Penny to Jesse Ventura, to Tammy Lee and Peter Hutchinson and Team Minnesota, these trailblazers laid down a good foundation for independent party politics whose momentum continues to build as the party approaches its twenty-year anniversary.
A common trait of IP members, candidates, and the increasing number of people who vote for them are those who are fiscally conservative and socially tolerant; and those who believe in a focused, limited scope of government services whose top priorities include education, transpiration, healthcare, environment, and budget sanity.
The Independence Party offers a place to those who believe the two-party system has not delivered--that in a country where over 30 varieties of spaghetti sauce can be considered in a grocery store, only two viable choices at the ballot box is not a democratic competition. The Independence Party offers the belief that political power starts and ends with the people.
Featured Candidate
Ron Erhardt
The Republicans denied their endorsement as punishment for his listening to his constituents, 61% of whom agreed with his vote to override the governor's veto of the 2008 transportation bill, a bill he was instrumental in drafting. We applaud his courage in acting to break the logjam on transportation, and offer hope for the future of our transportation infrastructure here in Minnesota. We're doing everything we can to see to it that the rare representatives that listen to their constituents and put the good of the state before slavish subservience to party edicts get re-elected, and so we heartily endorse Rep. Erhardt in his re-election campaign.