New Group Aims to Galvanize Unaffiliated or Independent Veterans to Run for Office
Military.com | By Patricia Kime
Published July 02, 2024 at 5:07pm ET
The founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the first veterans' organization for post-9/11 troops, has a new mission: recruiting politically independent former service members to run for public office.
Paul Rieckhoff, a former Army infantry officer and veterans activist who established IAVA in 2004, announced the creation Tuesday of Independent Veterans of America, or IVA, a nonprofit aimed at recruiting veterans who are registered as independents or are unaffiliated with an established political party and getting them elected.
In a release, Rieckhoff said the push is needed as Americans grow weary of a system that has generated the "same, old, partisan candidates."
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"America is hungry for new leadership with independence, integrity and experience," Rieckhoff said in a statement. "Independent Veterans of America will provide a new generation of political leaders who are ready to challenge the duopoly, put country over party, and meet this incredibly challenging moment."
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/07/02/new-group-aims-galvanize-unaffiliated-or-independent-veterans-run-office.html
