WA centrists are ‘politically homeless.’ Nirvana co-founder wants to change that

Editor's Note: This story will be part of a five-part series by The Olympian that examines how the nation’s political divide is reshaping the future of Washington state.

Devin Doyle relocated to Seattle from New York City to pursue an M.B.A. at the University of Washington.

But after living in the state for five years, he said he became disillusioned with the Democratic Party’s lack of leadership. His dissatisfaction led him on a quest for something new. “I was kind of politically homeless, and so looked up the Cascade Party … platform, found that it was pretty middle-of-the-road and kind of sensible, and had some of the values that I held,” he said.

The Cascade Party is a centrist third party chaired by Krist Novoselic, co-founder and bassist of legendary grunge lords Nirvana, that vows to offer “a political home for Washingtonians who are tired of the extremes,” as noted on its website.

Novoselic said the Cascade Party was inspired by his dissatisfaction with contemporary politics. The gridlock between Democrats and Republicans on the state and national scales pushed him to launch a new movement.

Doyle and Novoselic aren’t alone in their distaste for the polarization gripping Washington state — a trend that’s also ensnaring the country. As both mainstream parties have leaned further in their respective directions, some Washingtonians have started to question: Whatever happened to the political middle?

Less than 4% of the state’s votes in the 2024 presidential election were for non-majority party candidates, such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. or Jill Stein, and write-ins, state election data show.

Forty-five percent of Americans in a 2025 Gallup poll identified themselves as independents — the highest number yet in the annual survey with data dating back to 1988. The poll showed 27% classified their party affiliation as Democratic while another 27% said they were Republican.

Here in Washington, Democrats have for years retained control of the governor’s mansion and two legislative chambers. Polling, however, suggests that voters are less than thrilled about the state’s current leadership.

Gov. Bob Ferguson received dismal approval ratings during his first six months in office, the lowest of any Washington governor this century.

Only 32% of respondents in a Cascade PBS/Elway poll last year said they’d call the Democrat’s performance “excellent” or “good.” Some surveyed felt that Ferguson — who quickly cast himself as a gubernatorial reformer — was too moderate, while others believed he was too aligned with majority-party Dems.

Pollster Stuart Elway noted that the survey reflected a partisan response, although Democrats weren’t entirely sold on Ferguson either.

“Maybe that’s the curse of being the middle guy,” Elway said at the time, according to Cascade PBS.

Most of the poll’s respondents also indicated that they didn’t feel well-represented by their state government.

Washington Independents PAC

In 2017, a pair of former Republican and Democratic officials announced the launch of a political action committee dedicated to electing centrist candidates. The short-lived Washington Independents organization was associated with the national Centrist Project.

Co-founder Chris Vance, who previously served as chair of the state GOP and a state representative, said the theory behind Washington Independents was that independent candidates lose because they lack the proper political infrastructure. So, they tried to create it.

As for the PAC’s success?

“It didn’t work,” Vance said. “Across the country and in Washington state, we raised money, we had candidates, we got them on the ballot — and they all got crushed.”

Vance’s postmortem diagnosis: Although voters are sick of both parties and extremism, they won’t risk backing an independent for fear that the opposing side might win. That’s even though many Washingtonians feel disenfranchised, he said.

While the Republican base creeps more to the right and the Democratic base inches leftward, everyone else is asked to vote for the lesser of two evils, he said.

In Vance’s view, the key to restoring the state’s political fitness is a more moderate Republican Party — one not commanded by President Donald Trump, whom the Democrats despise — that can pull the Dems back toward the center.

“Right now, the Republicans aren’t a threat,” he added. “So the Democrats feel like they can do whatever they want.”

Former Democratic U.S. Rep. Brian Baird co-founded Washington Independents alongside Vance. He served in a southwest Washington swing district that today is represented by Democratic Congress member Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.

Baird said rural voters often feel unheard “beyond the Puget Sound bubble,” and as though their concerns aren’t considered by the state’s majority party.

Today, Baird and Vance doubt that an independent movement is the answer. They’ve both since turned their sights to new organizations.

Baird created the service-oriented, “greater good”-focused National Museum and Center for Service. Vance helps lead Our Republican Legacy, composed of Republicans with grave concerns about the U.S.’s future.

The former officials encourage those who are feeling worried about their party becoming too extreme to get involved; it’s important to set high standards for those running for office, Baird said.

“The problem is that in this environment, so many good people are just staying away because they don’t want the personal threats, they don’t want the public assaults, they don’t want the endless chase for money,” he said.

‘Reality show’ of modern politics

For Novoselic, the two-party system can be summed up as a “bad comedy” dominated by Trump. He said many issues get lost in the shuffle, particularly at the local level.

The Cascade Party aims to inject common sense into politics by addressing issues like public safety, housing and affordability. Novoselic said the Cascade Party’s values and operations give members a break from the “reality show” of modern politics.

He said the party aims to identify centrist, value-aligned candidates to support: contenders who demonstrate accomplishments over personality.

“Mick Jagger said the famous, ‘Ice cream, eat too much, and you can get sick,’ right?” Novoselic said. “So I have a lot of recognition, but I don’t need that, and what I’m looking for is accomplishments.”

Some Washington state lawmakers have also longed for improved civic health. In an October 2024 story by U.S. News & World Report, Lt. Gov. Denny Heck said that having two political parties with competing philosophies would be better for the state.

Republican state Sen. Chris Gildon of Puyallup said at the Washington Observer’s 2025 Re-Wire Policy Conference that the biggest challenge facing Olympia is finding the center.

“The Legislature has gone so far to the left that they would literally need a telescope to find the middle,” he said.

That midway spot is the toughest place in politics to be, Gildon said. Lawmakers on the margins snag more headlines while centrist candidates upset both their base and the opposing side.

Doyle with the Cascade Party wants to see pro-business policies in Washington balanced with people-centered support systems. He hopes that the state can maintain a healthy tech economy and continue hosting corporations like Amazon and Microsoft.

To Doyle, it’s also important to have a strong social safety net; he said his mother was raised on food stamps.

The Cascade Party now counts more than 100 members, and Doyle hopes to learn from former centrist parties to make his group’s mission a sustainable one.

“Now comes the hard work,” Doyle said. “Now we have to roll up our sleeves and act like a legitimate party and really focus on growth.”

This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "WA centrists are ‘politically homeless.’ Nirvana co-founder wants to change that."

Simone Carter

The Olympian

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