by Alex Augenbraun

Over 36,000 New Yorkers voted for Diane Sare to represent the state of New York in the U.S. Senate on Nov. 5, the only independent candidate featured on the New York state ballots.
This voter turnout tops Sare’s previous total of 25,794 votes in her 2022 bid against Chuck Schumer.
Sare is a longtime associate of Lyndon LaRouche, the conspiratorial economist with a vendetta against the “British Empire,” whose eight presidential runs and political legacy have been labeled by The New York Times as “cult-like.”
In a video posted to her YouTube channel on Nov. 6, Sare took a victory lap. “We know that Kamala Harris, otherwise known as Liz and Dick Cheney, puppet of the British Empire and the neocons, was defeated.”
“I know–and they know—that my voice is serious and substantial and I have a great deal of support in the state of New York,” said Sare, after claiming “election fraud” explained her vote never eclipsing 0.5%.
Less than a month before election day, Sare arrived at Hunter College to address students in an event organized by the Political Science Club.
From Music Student to LaRouche Heir
Sare’s path to the LaRouche movement began at the New England Conservatory of Music, where she encountered activists campaigning for LaRouche’s ideas at an airport.
“I thought I disagreed with a lot of what they were saying,” she said. “They were calling out for a ‘strong defense,’ which as a Quaker pacifist, I didn’t understand.”
She recounted how LaRouche’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) proposals, which promoted missile defense systems as a peace strategy, piqued her interest. This was the controversial “Star Wars” program introduced by the Reagan administration in the 1980s, which many believe complicated arms negotiations with the Soviet Union.
How Does One Get On the Ballot?
In New York, an individual can appear on the ballot in two ways:
1. Party Nomination: A candidate can be nominated by a state-recognized party.
2. Independent Candidacy: A candidate can gather signatures to qualify as an independent. For the Senate, New York State law requires either 5% of the voters from the previous election or 45,000 signatures, whichever is less.
In Sare’s case, she surpassed the 45,000 signature requirement.
“This is a serious campaign that should be in the New York Times,” Sare said. “I’m the only person in the entire state of New York who was able to get 70,000 signatures with the volunteer force and get on the ballot.”
On Russia, NATO, and Ukraine: Blame Shifts to the U.S.
Sare’s views on international relations center on her staunch opposition to NATO expansion and U.S. foreign policy, particularly in the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. “NATO broke its promise not to expand, and when Putin asked for treaty assurances in 2021, the U.S. escalated,” she said, alleging that the Biden administration actively provoked Russia’s 2022 invasion.
These statements echo long-held Russian grievances; yet, NATO insists that Russia’s military buildup at Ukraine’s borders signaled its own intentions regardless of diplomatic gestures. Sare offered little to acknowledge this side, instead focusing her critique squarely on U.S. actions.mercenaries
When asked about Russia’s military presence in Africa and its history of aggressive actions, such as the 2008 incursion into Georgia, Sare admitted limited knowledge, dismissing the complexities of Russian involvement on the African continent as remnants of colonial interests. For her, the U.S. remains the primary aggressor on the global stage.
Looming Threat of Nuclear War
The LeRouche movement has long-held preventing nuclear war to be a top priority.
“They want to avoid it,” Sare says. “So they’ve been much more transparent about what they’re doing than we have. It is extremely dangerous to cut off diplomatic ties [with Russia]… It’s very bad that Ambassador Antonov has left the United States.”
Yet, Russia’s nuclear threats remain real. In September, Russia threatened to use nuclear weapons to turn Kyiv into a ‘gray spot.’ Since 2022, Putin has made similar threats. In summer 2024, Russia announced it will begin tactical nuclear weapons drills.
2022 Senate Race
Reflecting on her 2022 run for Senate, Sare claimed election interference, asserting that her vote tally “peaked at 57,000 on election night” but then mysteriously fell.
“By morning, my vote was down to 29,000,” she said.
New York State’s Board of Elections, however, refuted these claims in an email sent to The Envoy, explaining that Sare’s evidence relied on unofficial sources rather than state-certified results.
2024 Senate Race
Sare took home 36,661 votes in 2024 whereas Jose Vega, another LaRouche candidate, secured 3,746 votes in his bid for New York Congressional District 15. Incumbent Richie Torres won with a tally of 121,318.