​In February 2018, Simon announced he was running to represent Maryland in the United States Senate, unaffiliated from a political party. An active member of the political reform movement, Neal believes that our country's partisan duopoly is pulling apart our nation and is failing to address essential economic, health, infrastructure and education policy steps. With the slogan People Over Politics, Simon’s campaign was an attempt to bring the country together, to change the way Washington works, and to represent the people of Maryland rather than a political party.  

 

Simon’s campaign was endorsed by reform organizations including Unite America and No Labels, and was supported as well by Maryland’s Governor Larry Hogan. During the one televised debate of the campaign, Simon criticized both parties for failing to solve our country's challenges, and discussed solutions for health care, immigration and government reform. While Simon ran the most successful unaffiliated Senate campaign in 2018, he was unsuccessful in winning the election. He finished with 86,000 votes after polling as high as 18% in early October.

 

Simon remains active in the political space, advocating for the implementation of key political initiatives to repair our democracy, such as: ending partisan gerrymandering, opening primaries in elections, reforming campaign finance laws, and instituting term limits for elected officials. He is a leader in the political reform movement, advising and supporting organizations including Unite America, No Labels, Open Primaries, Fair Vote, Issue One, and the Bridge Alliance. His commentary on our politics has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Real Clear Politics, and the Independent Voter Network.