Wells said he would work for single-payer health care, a higher minimum wage, free college education and student loan forgiveness.

Tom Wells was inspired by Bernie Sanders to get involved in politics. He is running for Congress as a self-funded independent. In fact, the lack of corporate funding is fundamental to his campaign.

“My marketing research consists of me going in the street and having several thousand conversations with individuals in the district and has shown that the single thing that everybody relates to is that corporations are funding Congress and that is producing horrendous results,” he said.

Wells, 66, is running with no party affiliation against Republican incumbent Ted Yoho and Democrat Ken McGurn for Florida’s 3rd Congressional District.

Wells is an electrical engineer in Gainesville with his own consulting company, World Radomes. He spent 15 years at the Georgia Tech Research Institute doing microwave research on projects for the Army and Air Force before going to work for AFC in Ocala. He found himself coming to Gainesville frequently for bike rides and dance classes, so he moved here about 20 years ago.

He said he's been interested in politics for 20 years and decided to throw his hat in the ring to address issues raised by Sanders.

“For now the only beneficiaries of my wisdom have been my children and they’re kind of tired of my wisdom,” he said.

He supports a single-payer health-care system; bringing the minimum wage in line with the cost of living, including recompense for the many years wages didn't keep pace; free college education and student loan forgiveness.

Wells said he wants to end the “war machine” that includes reining in military contractors.

Although he is running outside the party power structure, he said the changes for an independent victory have never been better “because the degree of disgust with the two major parties and in particular the two presidential candidates has never been as high as it is now.”

He is endorsing Green Party candidate Jill Stein because he said he doesn’t believe Hillary Clinton will adhere to her platform.

His priority is to root out government corruption by eliminating any corporate contributions or gifts from lobbyists that he blames for policies such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, private prisons and fracking.

He said one of his first acts would be to form a Straight Arrow Caucus with fellow House members pledging to say no to free meals, junkets and corporate contributions.

Wells called Obamacare a step in the right direction that should be expanded to provide Medicare for all, and said he supports raising the minimum wage beyond $15 immediately instead of taking a phased approach.

He would put a tax on fossil fuels that covers the social cost of greenhouse gases and make solar energy more competitive.