Politics with Paul

Approachable, nonpartisan, and nonideological analysis of various political topics by nonpartisan political analyst, writer, researcher, and speaker Paul Rader.

A New Way to Nominate Congressional Candidates? w/ Tom Joseph | Politics with Paul #89

E90 • Apr 21, 2026 • 48 mins

What if a Congressional party nomination could become more localized and geared toward all small donors? Primary elections tend to heavily favor the most well-funded and extreme candidates. Many Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike often feel the nominating process is unfair and unrepresentative as a result. But could a new third party's "People's Primary" be the answer to these criticisms? Today's guest on Politics with Paul is Tom Joseph, founder of America's Main Street Party. The AMSP uses the "People's Primary" to select its nominee, using local committees, small donors, and an app to allow citizens to choose the party's nominee. Listen in as Tom discusses the strategy behind this method, why the current candidate nomination process is flawed, and whether this system could expand in use in the future.

Key Points

Congressional elections have become increasingly predictable and uncompetitive, often dominated by well-funded and extreme candidates, leading to voter disillusionment.
America's Main Street Party (AMSP) proposes a novel, moneyless nominating system that uses local committees rather than big donors or party insiders to choose congressional candidates.
AMSP aims to restore competitiveness and fair representation in elections by running its own primaries and leveraging technology to engage voters in a more grassroots-oriented, transparent process.

Tom's Links:

America's Main Street Party homepage: https://www.mainstreetparty.org/
AMSP plan: https://www.mainstreetparty.org/our-plan
AMSP proof of concept: https://www.mainstreetparty.org/employment
AMSP "A Brand New Way": https://www.mainstreetparty.org/nominating-process
Wilson's Fountain: https://www.wilsonsfountain.us/

Paul's Links:

Download my FREE 5-day educational email course on how to fight polarization: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/
Buy my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/
My website: https://paulrader.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites
Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/
Email: [email protected]

Speakers

Paul Rader

Host • 46%

Tom Joseph

Guest • 54%

Chapters

0:00	Introduction to Political Reform
1:58	Why Tom is Involved in Reforming Candidate Nomination Processes
4:03	What is AMSP and Why Create it?
8:15	How AMSP's "People's Primary" Works
15:04	How the "People's Primary" Engages Citizens, Addresses Voter Apathy
19:46	On Pushback from People Who Say this Work is Impractical
22:40	On Misconceptions of What the AMSP's Super PAC is
26:23	Other Potential Misunderstandings About AMSP, "People's Primary"
27:23	Why Name it "America's Main Street Party"?
28:13	The Rise of Congressional Caucuses, Increase in Factionalism
31:33	Can the AMSP Primary System be Extended to State, Local Elections?
34:04	Independent Candidates' Strategy: Whether to Run in Competitive Districts
37:15	Practical Tips for Reforming Nomination Processes, Get Involved with AMSP
39:40	Could We Reform the Timing of Presidential Primaries?
42:16	Random Question: Your Pet Peeves Few, if Any, Other People Have?
45:21	Our Links to Share, Closing

Transcript

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