In 1990, Bernie Sanders got elected to the House. This stands out for multiple reasons. The one I am focusing on is him being an independent. It is highly unusual for a US politician to be an independent. That is why I'm asking.
It was a three-way race. Despite this, he got a MAJORITY on his first winning election bid. (The Dem got 3%.) How did he get elected as an independent? There are literally no independent House members today. The closest thing to that would be Amash, but he is a Libertarian (who was elected as a Republican) so that doesn't count.
In addition, the people with Ds next to their name got single digits sometimes, meaning less than 1 in 10 voters chose them. And, other than George Washington, there was never a successful independent presidential bid. Ever. So, how did he do that