![Jared Young(cq) converses with journalists before an interview Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024 at the Columbia Jet Center at Columbia Regional Airport in Columbia. “If I was in the House as an Independent, I wouldn’t be able to do much- I’d just get squashed,” Young said during the interview. “But in the Senate, every single individual Senator wields tremendous power. [Independent Senators] are involved in every decision that’s made in the Senate.”](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/43afb3b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1750x2635+0+0/resize/840x1264!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Faf%2F03%2F28b5dee44dfe88549819b454495b%2Fjared-young.jpg)
Third-party Senate candidate Jared Young embarked on a plane tour of the state Thursday with former U.S. Senator John Danforth.
Young says he’s felt disappointed with the state of politics for the last decade, calling it “divisive.”
“Eventually I reached the point where, either I needed to completely disengage because I was so disgusted and frustrated,” Young said. “Or I needed to go all in.”
That’s why Young said he decided to run for senate. In the process he found support from Danforth, who is hoping to restore what he calls “the responsible conservative party.”
While Danforth is still a Republican, he says he no longer recognizes the Republican party under former President Donald Trump’s leadership.
He called January 6th as the “tipping point” in changing his support of not only the party, but his former mentee Republican Senator Josh Hawley.
“Supporting Josh Hawley was the worst mistake I ever made in my life. And I believe that,” Senator Danforth said. “I take responsibility for him being in the senate.”
A long shot to beat the incumbent Republican, Young is counting on the support of voters who feel they haven’t been represented.
Research firm Y2 analytics surveyed 524 likely general election voters earlier this year. Their results found 70% of respondents were open to supporting a third party senate candidate.
“The voters are ready for this,” Young said.
His biggest policies include addressing national debt, which he says isn’t talked about enough.
“It's going to be weighing down our economy more and more and more if we continue to let it fester,” Young said.
He also said he’s looking for immigration reform. While he said he wants to reinforce the Southern border, he also said there is a bigger need for legal immigrants in the country.
At the heart of his arguments, Young said he wants to work with both parties to fix issues present in the country. If elected, he believes his swing vote in the Senate would be coveted.
Young founded the Better Party, which currently only sponsors two candidates. But Young said he’s looking to recruit more people to join.
“This isn't just about Jared Young,” he said. “This is about this group of disenchanted, unrepresented voters in Missouri.”
