Newt Gingrich and Adam Brandon Examine the Rise of America’s “Exhausted Majority”
Americans are increasingly frustrated with a political system that seems built around permanent conflict. Adam Brandon argues that behind that frustration is something far more consequential than voter apathy: a growing group of independents who still believe in the American dream, fiscal responsibility, individual liberty, and solving problems, but no longer feel at home in either major political party. In his new book, The Exhausted Majority: Building a Home for the Politically Homeless, Brandon examines who these voters are and why their growing numbers could fundamentally change American politics.
In this episode of Newt’s World, Newt Gingrich and Brandon explore what the rise of independent voters could mean for the 2026 midterms and beyond. They discuss the generational shift being driven by millennials and Gen X, concerns about affordability and the national debt, the demand for leaders willing to solve long-term problems, and whether coalition-building could begin replacing a political strategy focused almost entirely on turning out partisan bases. Brandon also explains why he believes a relatively small number of truly independent members of Congress could eventually become a powerful force for building new governing coalitions.
Listen to their conversation below, or scroll down for an edited transcript.
Edited Transcript
This conversation has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.
Newt Gingrich:
You open the book with a running joke that every election is the most important election of our lifetime. What’s the point you’re making?
Adam Brandon:
I used to run a grassroots conservative organization, and the problem was we would always go to activists and say, “This is the most important battle. This is the most important issue.” It just got everyone exhausted.
When I look at our problems, they’re long-term in nature. Whether it’s entitlements, energy, or any of the big problems we’re dealing with, I think it’s time we start thinking in multiple election cycles, not simply about this election or this issue. It’s time to start thinking long-term.
Newt Gingrich:
The title of your book comes from a 2018 study by the research group More in Common. What exactly is the “exhausted majority”?
Adam Brandon:
We have a lot of problems we haven’t dealt with. We’ve been talking about many of the same issues for a long time. Americans are exhausted with politics. There seems to be politics in their face all the time, and people want to turn that down.
When I talk about the exhausted majority, I’m talking about people who want to get on with their lives and don’t want politics to be an existential crisis all the time. People are sick of it. They want to see things actually get done. They want legislation passed and problems moved forward.
Newt Gingrich:
People in politics tend to talk about the degree to which we’re becoming two tribes. But the research actually identified seven different tribes, many of which don’t care very much about politics and may actually be turned off by it. Do you see that changing?
Adam Brandon:
I think it’s somewhat stable, but you may be done with politics while politics isn’t done with you.
We’re living through two revolutions at once: an AI revolution and a robotics revolution. Politics is going to be in people’s lives, but what people want is leadership and to see things get done.
You and Bill Clinton were on different sides, but you were able to accomplish incredibly important things such as welfare reform. That’s what this exhausted majority wants to see. It doesn’t matter who is in office. Can we start getting things done that move our problems forward?
Newt Gingrich:
Over the last half-century, both political parties have lost ground while independents have become more important. They’re now almost half the electorate. What does that mean for the shape of politics to come?
Adam Brandon:
What’s really interesting is who these independents are.
If you’re over 50 and independent, you were probably once in one of the two parties and moved away. Under 50, this movement is being driven by millennials and Gen X.
These generations grew up with tremendous choice and the ability to customize almost everything. They see things they like from Democrats and things they like from Republicans, but most importantly, they want to see something done about issues such as debt and deficits because they know they’re going to be the ones paying for them.
We’re moving from a baby boomer-driven society to a millennial-driven society, and millennials are going to be driving politics for the next 20 years.
Newt Gingrich:
That makes the calculations of political consultants and candidates very different. In a sense, it requires what we did in the 1990s: a coalition-building model rather than simply a base-turnout model.
Adam Brandon:
Correct. That is incredibly important.
Most districts are structured so you can get elected on a hard partisan vote. But there are roughly 25 or 30 districts where independents could become enormously important. With slim congressional majorities, if independents coalesce in these districts, strange things can happen in elections.
Rather than simply turning out your base, you may have to win independents and then go back and pick up your base. That is a very different way of doing politics.
Newt Gingrich:
Could our traditional idea of red states and blue states become misleading? If you capture the independents, couldn’t you change the entire balance of power?
Adam Brandon:
I think that’s exactly it.
When we survey independents, these aren’t people simply putting their fingers in the air to see which way the wind is blowing. They have values.
On economic issues, they understand that debt and deficits are coming to them. They understand that the problems facing Social Security and Medicare are coming to them. They want to protect their parents and grandparents while making sure there is a functioning system when their generation needs it.
They borrow ideas from both parties while looking for something new. I think that’s where the future of politics is going to be won and lost.
Newt Gingrich:
Do younger Americans tend to think longer-term than older generations?
Adam Brandon:
I think so.
When we ask younger people what they want, they want to buy a house. They want to get married. They want to save for retirement. They want to go on vacation once a year.
What they keep saying is, “If we play by the rules, we should be able to afford the American dream.”
They’re thinking about the American dream in the long run, not simply the short run.
Newt Gingrich:
Are they giving up on the American dream, or are they determined to rebuild it?
Adam Brandon:
I think it’s a combination of both. They’re looking for leaders.
They would like more stability and calmness because there is already so much uncertainty in their professional lives. When you ask them what a leader is, interestingly, the answer isn’t necessarily “bipartisan.” It’s somebody willing to work across the aisle.
They want someone who, even when it isn’t popular, will sit on the other bench, get to know their adversary, and figure out something they can actually accomplish.
Newt Gingrich:
How much does the economy overwhelm everything else?
Adam Brandon:
The fear of not being able to achieve the American dream is huge.
Affordability means different things depending on where you are in life. For one person, it’s the price of gas. For a college-educated couple making decent money, it might be housing. If you’re trying to buy a car, it’s the cost of a vehicle. And everyone still has to eat.
There is a lot of economic uncertainty and anxiety. AI adds another dimension. Younger workers understand its power to advance their careers, but they also understand its potential to replace them.
Newt Gingrich:
Is the national debt real to them, or is the number so enormous that it feels distant?
Adam Brandon:
The number itself is so big that it can seem unreal, but the pressure of it is very real.
Younger Americans may not always directly connect debt and deficits with things such as their mortgage rate, but they instinctively understand that the debt problem is beginning to affect the broader economy.
Our research keeps showing that millennials and younger Americans are open to significant changes. They care about their parents and grandparents. Nobody is looking to rip Social Security or Medicare away from them. But they also recognize that the world is changing and believe there has to be a better way of doing things.
Newt Gingrich:
When I became Speaker in 1995, about 90 percent of the country wanted a balanced budget. That was a big enough majority to grind our way through to four consecutive balanced budgets. Do you see the possibility of building that kind of momentum around fiscal sanity again?
Adam Brandon:
I can see a path.
I’m optimistic that a new generation of politicians will understand that technology gives them the ability to communicate directly with their constituents and explain what is happening and why.
We’re not explaining enough to people. If you start having honest conversations and everything isn’t treated as the most important existential battle of our lifetime, you create room for long-term conversations with people on the other side.
That’s one reason I decided to go independent. I want to have conversations with people on the right and the left about how we actually solve these problems.
Newt Gingrich:
You point out that because of gerrymandering on both sides, more than four-fifths of the House will essentially be selected within the two parties. Does that make change harder?
Adam Brandon:
Absolutely. But building a new movement takes time.
Before Republicans created the majority in the 1990s, there was a lot of work done in the 1980s. It wasn’t an accident that you came into power on a wave of people demanding big reforms.
I see an opportunity for something similar today: a policy vision for the future built around common sense.
The two parties are focused heavily on talking to their bases. That is different from winning the center of America behind an agenda. If a leader can unite the center of the country around a common-sense agenda, that person could fundamentally change American politics.
Most Americans are still committed to liberty. They’re still committed to capitalism. They’re still committed to decency toward their neighbors. We need to tap into that.
Newt Gingrich:
People are often attracted to the idea of creating a third party. I’m dubious given the historical record. Is it better to reform one of the existing parties or create a competitive third party?
Adam Brandon:
I’m not trying to start a third party. I’m trying to start a movement, or really, I think we’re seeing a movement beginning.
If you look at American history, movements are what changed things: the suffrage movement, the civil rights movement, the abolitionist movement.
Movements can cut across both parties and have the strength necessary to push change forward. If you want to reform American healthcare or get debt and deficits under control, it’s going to take a movement.
If you can demonstrate that there is a large group of Americans demanding leadership and solutions to big problems, eventually that begins changing the parties themselves.
Newt Gingrich:
Tell us about the Independent Leadership Council. What is it, who’s behind it, and what does it ask of the candidates it supports?
Adam Brandon:
After leaving FreedomWorks, I began working with pollster Brett Lloyd to study independents and determine whether there was an opportunity to create an organization serving these voters.
Earlier this year, I sat down with Senator Joe Manchin and his daughter Heather Manchin. They had also concluded that independents represented a path forward, and we decided to bring our efforts together through the Independent Leadership Council.
We also formed the Independent PAC, which is focused on getting independents elected.
The goal is to elect people who will not caucus with either party, giving them the ability to focus on legislation and become a fulcrum for building coalitions on issues such as healthcare and spending.
We hope to prove the model in 2026 and potentially grow to five or 10 seats in 2028.
Newt Gingrich:
You end the book by saying, “As two older Americans, we never thought we would say this, but the millennials will save us.” Why are you so optimistic about millennials?
Adam Brandon:
Because of my experience with them.
Millennials aren’t 20 years old anymore. They’re in the workforce. They’re raising families. They’re becoming a pivotal generation.
Their patriotism may look different from the patriotism I was raised with or my grandparents were raised with, but they’re involved in their communities, they’re concerned about the country, and they want the same American dream.
There is anger because they feel political infighting is delaying that dream, but they don’t want to burn down the system and live in the ashes. They want the system to work again.
They’re engaged, they’re angry, and I believe that energy can be channeled in a positive direction. That’s why I’m optimistic.
About the Guest
Adam Brandon is senior advisor to the Independent Center, co-founder of the Independent Leadership Council, and author of The Exhausted Majority: Building a Home for the Politically Homeless. He previously served for more than a decade as president of FreedomWorks, where he helped lead the Tea Party movement, and has worked on foreign and domestic policy at the U.S. State Department as well as national and local political campaigns.
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