The only way I can see an Independent ever winning is to first find a way to decrease polarization WITHIN the two parties. Before you can create a “purple” party you need to have people feel comfortable being different shades of “blue” and “red”. It needs to become a spectrum.

I’m hear thinking out loud.

I don’t think a new party is necessarily the answer. Maybe more diversity within the two parties. Maybe instead of having just one person win the primary it’s narrowed down to your top two within each party and you do a form of ranked choice among those options. I know it sounds messy.