On this week’s episode, host Tim Boyum reconnects with Shelane Etchison. She was North Carolina’s first ever Congressional unaffiliated candidate to make it on the ballot. Independents aren’t a party, they aren’t a third party, they’re exactly as they sound — independent.

Although she lost the election, she significantly outperformed all other non-major party candidates, exceeding expectations. 

“The burden for unaffiliated candidates to get on the ballot, I believe, is too high right now. The bar is too high right now,” Etchison told Boyum. “The amount of money I had to allocate to that, the time and effort, it just already puts you at an impasse.”

So, how does she feel now after running? Can an unaffiliated candidate ever win, and what’s next for her? Listen to find out her experience.