Independents for America Podcast

Steve Woll is a Navy Veteran, a Scientist, a Businessman, and a Problem Solver and he is running to represent the citizens of Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District.

He grew up in Pittsburgh - a city that taught me strength, decency, and the value of work. He got a world-class education, held a dozen different jobs, and lived across this country before the Navy brought him to the Hampton Roads area.

He served in the Navy for 21 years as a Meteorology and Oceanography Officer, working with ships, submarines, aircraft, and naval special warfare across the country and across the globe. He was aboard the USS Harry S Truman on September 11th and deployed to the multinational Air Component Commander for Operation Iraqi Freedom. He led support operations for a dozen aircraft carriers and large-deck amphibious ships across the Atlantic Fleet.​

The Navy taught him one thing above everything else: mission clarity and team trust are worth more than any individual talent. That’s not a philosophy - it’s a fact I’ve tested under pressure.

After 21 years in uniform, he brought those same scientific, analytical, and leadership skills to the private sector, helping companies and clients leverage data, technology, and teamwork to solve their most challenging operational problems. Including highly successful public-private partnerships right here in Hampton Roads.​

For the last several years, he has been working with a veteran-inspired service organization dedicated to bridging the civic divides that have fractured this country. Not theorizing about it - doing the work. Sitting across from people who disagree with me and finding common ground. It’s harder than it sounds. It’s also the only thing that works.

Hampton Roads is home to the largest concentration of active-duty service members and veterans of any congressional district in America - more than 220,000. More than 55% of post-9/11 vets here are unaffiliated with either party - because they’ve seen what real leadership looks like, and what they’re watching in Washington doesn’t qualify.​

Representative Bobby Scott has held this seat since 1993. Thirty-three years. There has been no Democratic primary in this district since 2018. No real general election competition in a decade. The district has been on autopilot while the world has changed around it.​

Hampton Roads drives 40% of the regional GDP through its military economy. We have the infrastructure, the workforce, and the strategic importance to lead this country on AI, defense technology, offshore energy, and workforce development. All of those need a regional perspective, active engagement, and close collaboration with the major federal agencies in D.C., not 30 plus years of doing it the way we’ve always done it. ​

This district can do more than survive in Washington - it can lead it. But only with the right representation.

https://www.stevewoll.com/

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Matt is running as an Independent candidate to represent Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District. He served in the Marine Corps for 28 years including combat deployments during Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom and ultimately retired as a full Colonel. Matt and his wife have two daughters and have long ties to the Hampton Roads area. To learn more about Matt, his principles, and his priorities, go to

https://www.mattbakerindependent.com/

Please consider volunteering and donating to Matt’s campaign.

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Nathan Smolensky is a longtime independent strategist and the founder of UniFire Consulting, a firm dedicated to providing the strategic infrastructure and messaging for independent political candidates. His focus is on bringing a business mindset to create effective, positive messaging, empowering them to speak powerfully to their campaign platform, viability, and impact proposition while maintaining their authentic voice. He is the author of Common Ground from the Ground Up (2025), which explores how collaborative discourse can make us better advocates for our beliefs, help us heal relationships, and repair the American political landscape. Currently based in Florida, Nathan works with candidates around the nation and takes pride in serving as a connector within the independent space. When not in the “trenches” of a campaign, Nathan enjoys food, chess, and trivia.

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Disillusioned with the two major political parties, Jay Doyle decided to run for Mayor of Georgetown, SC as a Forward Party candidate. He was elected Mayor in November 2025 began serving his four-year team in January 2026. Jay and his wife, Suzanne, moved to Georgetown 16 years ago and immediately fell in love with all that is Georgetown. He has been engaged with the community from the onset and shared the concerns that many citizens regarding the direction of our city. Georgetown is a community with rich history and potential, yet faces several challenges that need immediate attention, particularly, in crucial areas such as job creation, affordable housing, development, and overall growth. Many of these challenges are daunting but his motto has always been “If there is a will, there is a way.”

Jay was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he spent his formative years surrounded by family as one of eight children. After completing high school, he briefly attended Northeastern University but soon realized that traditional college education was not the right path for him. This realization led him to embark on an entrepreneurial journey, ultimately starting his own construction business, which successfully thrived for an impressive 25 years.

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Mayor Brian Vincent, is is a proud Independent who is running for reelection under the Forward Party banner. Brian was first elected to serve as Mayor of Farmville in 2022. Prior to January 1st 2023, Mayor Vincent served as the town councilman of Ward B from July 2018 to December 2022. He is a graduate of Tabb High School in Yorktown, VA and holds a B.A. in Geography/GIS from Concord University in Athens, WV. Mayor Vincent runs a family business on Main Street in Farmville, Appomattox River Company, alongside his father-in-law. He has served on the Board for the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources since 2017. The mayor’s wife, Harriet, is a Farmville native and local Nurse Practitioner. They have two school-aged daughters, Martha Lucy and Eliza. In his spare time, Mayor Vincent enjoys exploring the outdoors, paddling rivers with his family, reading widely, and testing his physical and mental limits.

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Laura Taddeucci Downs was elected to the Falls Church City (VA) Council in a special election in November 2024 to complete a former council member’s unexpired term. She is seeking re-election this Fall for a full, four-year term. Prior to her election to City Council, in November 2019, Laura was elected to a four-year term on the School Board for Falls Church City Public Schools. While on the School Board, Laura helped the schools navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and oversaw the construction of the system’s brand-new, 120M LEED Gold-certified Meridian High School. Laura served as Vice Chair for one year and then as Chair for two years on the School Board.

School Board members were elected publicly in Falls Church City beginning in 1994. In the 30 years since, Laura is one of only six FCC residents who have been elected to both the School Board and the City Council, and the only female to do so.

Before her public service, Laura served in several volunteer leadership roles: Falls Church Elementary PTA President, Henderson Middle School PTA President, President of the GW Alumni Association, and Board member of the Falls Church Education Foundation. Laura’s professional career has been in the field of Higher Education Administration. She worked at George Washington University as Executive Director of Student Life and also received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from GW.

Laura grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and moved to Falls Church City, VA, in 2009 with her husband, Christian, and their four sons.

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Jennifer Passey has been an active resident in the City of Fairfax since 2010, when she moved there with her husband and four boys. She was elected and served two terms on the Fairfax City Council beginning in 2017. During her time on the City Council, she focused on improving communication between City Hall and residents as well as strategic economic development and environmental initiatives. With her leadership, the City implemented its first composting program in 2018.

Prior to her election to City Council, she served on the City’s Planning Commission (2011-14), the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board (2012-14) and the Country Club Hills Civic Association from 2010-12. In 2021, Jennifer was selected as the City of Fairfax Woman of Influence.

Jennifer is an issue advocacy and communications professional with more than 20 years of experience in Washington, DC; Dhaka, Bangladesh; and New Delhi, India. Originally from Blaine, Minnesota, Jennifer moved to the Washington Metropolitan Area to attend The George Washington University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies and, later, her master’s degree in Political Management.

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Donna Charles is a proud Air Force veteran and former civil servant with over 20 years of experience in national security and foreign policy. She has had the honor and privilege to serve this great country in a variety of roles, including at the State Department, Department of Defense, Capitol Hill, and the National Security Council.

Donna's roots are in the U.S. Intelligence Community, where she worked closely with amazing professionals of all stripes who all had a common goal: to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Public service is a natural instinct for Donna, dating back to her time as a Girl Scout.

Public service is Donna's way of showing gratitude for the wonderful and unique opportunities this great country has afforded her, and there is no greater honor than to serve. That is why she is running to become the next governor of Virginia. She can take her decades of experience in public service to make Virginia an even better place to live, work, and raise a family.

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Marq Hawkins (aka DJ Cli-N-Tel). As a college professor, business owner, and coach, Marq understands the the importance of leading by example. He is committed to investing in his community, bringing new ideas to create jobs, and and taking actions to stimulate economic growth. Before being sworn is as Mayor, Marq served on school councils and cultural advisory boards, and promoted vocational training and education programs for the evolving job market.

Marq is dedicated to fostering public/private partnerships to pave roads, increase green space, and community art.

Marq believes that by working together, the people can build a prosperous, healthy, beautiful, and financially sound California City.

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On May 2, 2024, Independent candidate Erik Johnson won his election for city council in Saint Albans, Vermont. Johnson is now serving his community as the city council member for Ward 5, which includes the southern end of Saint Albans.

“My mission is to champion a vibrant and safer St Albans by fostering community cohesion, amplifying resident voices, and driving forward positive, people-centric change.

As a non-partisan office holder, Johnson has the chance to stand up for his own values and for the needs of his community, rather than for any one political party’s agenda.

“I hear a lot that the state Democratic Party wants us to do this, or the state Democratic Party wants us to do that. I really felt like that would be limiting to me, because I want to be creative. I want to go down the path that works for me,” Johnson said.

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