Forward Party (United States)

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Forward Party
AbbreviationFWD
Co-chairs
FounderAndrew Yang
FoundedOctober 5, 2021; 2 years ago (2021-10-05)
Merger ofForward Party (original PAC)
Serve America Movement[1]
Renew America Movement
HeadquartersRiver Vale, New Jersey, U.S.
Ideology
Prior to mergers:
Political positionCenter[A]
Colors  Indigo   Blue   Red
Slogan
  • "Forward Together."
  • "Not Left. Not Right. Forward."
Website
www.forwardparty.com/
www.fwdtogether.org/
^ A: 'Center' within the American political spectrum. The party could also be described as 'big tent' or 'syncretic' due to its emphasis on not being on the left–right political spectrum, but rather "Forward".

The Forward Party, also known simply as Forward (FWD), is a centrist[7][8] political party in the United States. Forward has one political party affiliate at the state level seeking to achieve ballot access. It seeks to have affiliates with ballot access in 29 other states by 2023 and ballot access in all 50 states by 2024.[9]

The party, which was founded by former Democratic 2020 presidential and 2021 New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang, describes its goals as the reduction of partisan polarization and implementing electoral reforms.[10] Forward was officially formed as a political action committee (PAC) on October 5, 2021.[10] The PAC intends to seek recognition from the Federal Election Commission as a political party to achieve its stated goal of providing an alternative to the two major U.S. political parties.[11][12] It also states that, for the time being, candidates affiliated with the organization will remain members of the two major American political parties and America's third parties, as well as independent candidates.[13]

On July 27, 2022, the Forward Party announced that it had merged with the Serve America Movement and the Renew America Movement to further its effort to form a new third party named "Forward".[14][9]

History

Founding and early history (2021–2022)

Yang in 2019

In Yang's 2021 book, Forward: Notes on the Future of Our Democracy, he announced the creation of the party. Yang also criticized American political leaders, writing that "our leaders are rewarded based not on solving problems but on accruing resources and retaining office."[12][15][16]

Yang said that part of the reason why he wanted to start a third party instead of a caucus within the Democratic Party, was that a majority of states with ballot initiatives are red states, and that efforts to institute electoral changes would be partisan and not system-wide.[17][18] Yang stated that he would have liked to have implemented the Forward Party's platform within the Democratic Party. However, he felt that the implementation of ranked-choice voting and open primaries would be difficult to get while remaining a Democrat.[19]

The Forward Party claims that it will endorse candidates of both major parties in the 2022 elections who support its policies.[19] Yang states that the Forward Party will not serve a spoiler because it will endorse any Democrats and Republicans who support the party's platform. The Forward Party website suggests that candidates affiliated with the Forward Party will likely run as a member of one of the two major parties.[20] Yang stated that the Forward Party is not interested in running a candidate for president, but is focused on trying to decrease partisan gridlock within Congress and state legislatures.[17] The Forward Party has stated it may hold its own primary process to nominate a candidate prior to the 2024 United States presidential election.[21] The party's initial team included former congressional candidate Blair Walsingham and attorney Jeff Kurzon.[22]

In February 2022, The Forward Party chose Minnesota as the first state to launch an affiliate party.[23] According to Yang, Minnesota was chosen because there are "open primaries, public resources for candidates [and the state has] an independent spirit."[23] The Minnesota affiliate is being headed by John Denney, who ran for Congress in 2014 as a member of the Independence Party of Minnesota.[23] Denney attempted to get Richard Painter, who served as the chief White House ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush administration, to run as a member of the Forward Party in the 2022 Minnesota Attorney General election.[23] Cory Hepola, a radio host, announced he was running for Governor of Minnesota as a member of the Forward Party in 2022.[24] He later withdrew from the race.[25]

Mergers (2022–present)

In July 2022, the Forward Party, Renew America Movement, and Serve America Movement, announced that they would be merging in an attempt to form a new third party.[9][14] The new party, Forward, would be co-chaired by Yang and former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman.[26] Shortly after launching, former Pennsylvania Democratic Representative Joe Sestak and former Florida Republican Representative David Jolly both announced they would be joining the party.[27][28] They have also announced that the party would launch on September 24, 2022, with its first national convention in summer 2023.[29]

The Forward Party's affiliate, the Griebel-Frank for CT Party, appeared on the gubernatorial ballot in the 2022 Connecticut gubernatorial election. They endorsed incumbent Governor Ned Lamont.[30]

The Forward Party has no plans to run a candidate for President in 2024 and plans on working to elect state and local officials.[31] The party stated they will "do anything we can to make sure that Donald Trump does not get near the White House."[32]

Political positions

Early positions

The party's platform includes instituting 18-year term limits for members of Congress.[17] It also seeks to establish a new cabinet-level Department of Technology. The party supports civic juries and advocates for a "citizens' portal". The party supports data as a property right.[3] The party calls for an economy based on "human-centered capitalism", the enactment of universal basic income,[12][33] and support for alternative forms of measuring economic progress.[3]

The party advocates automatic tax filing.[34] Forward's platform supports the implementation of a universal health care system,[35] and it encourages states to adopt nonpartisan primaries and implement ranked-choice voting,[12][33] a concept Yang draws from political theorist and businesswoman Katherine Gehl called Final-Five Voting.[citation needed] It also proposes independent redistricting commissions and public finance reform in the form of democracy dollars.[3] The party encourages people to maintain their membership in the Democratic and Republican parties as to not disenfranchise them by leaving them unable to vote in party primaries.[13][36] As a consequence, Forward plans to endorse candidates from both major parties, third parties, as well as independents who advocate for the core values rather than field their own.[13]

Current positions after mergers

Upon merging with the Serve America Movement and the Renew America Movement, Forward eliminated its party platform and instead announced they will take an approach that seeks common ground among Americans.[31] Joel Searby, Forward's National Director, said that the party does not plan on taking positions on controversial issues such as guns and abortion; instead they will leave those issues up to candidates and state and local chapters to decide.[4] Steve Brawner, a freelance journalist and syndicated columnist, also said that "We think that Americans want and need a party that speaks to the needs of their local communities and gives elected officials the flexibility to meet those needs, instead of a rigid, top-down platform that prescribes exactly what you have to believe about any given issue..."[31]

Forward does take a specific stance on democratic reform.[31] The party supports:[3]

Reception and criticisms

The Forward Party has faced criticism from some Democrats, who believe the party could cause vote splitting and benefit Republicans[37] in most jurisdictions, which still use a plurality voting system. Luke Savage of Jacobin criticized the conception of the party as "pseudo-populism that's ultimately more an effort at rebranding the status quo than overthrowing it."[8] MSNBC opinion columnist Zeeshan Aleem called the Forward Party "an uninspiring mess lacking vision or purpose".[38] Natalie Shure of The New Republic characterized the party as "vapid" and a "political stunt", asking "why bother going through the trouble of building a third party if its creation is the only thing it intends to accomplish?"[39] Andrew Gawthorpe writing in The Guardian stated that the Forward Party is "likely to collapse under the weight of its own contradictions" as a new third party would not address more fundamental political problems in the United States.[40] Instead, he suggests that the Democratic Party is the only viable political party that could counter the “threat to U.S. democracy” posed by Republicans.[40] Political commentator Matthew Dowd tweeted, "Serious question @AndrewYang what changed about Democratic party since you ran less than two years ago as a Democrat for President and last year as a Democrat for mayor? I mean other than (the) fact voters rejected you."[41]

In contrast, New York Times opinion writer Kara Swisher praised Yang's book Forward: Notes on the Future of Our Democracy, which inspired the pre-July 2022 positions of the party. She wrote: "Yang does not just give us a laundry list of intractable problems, but shows how we can find solutions if we think in new ways and summon the courage to do so."[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Former US Democrat Andrew Yang launches centrist 'Forward Party'". Al Jazeera. July 28, 2022. Archived from the original on July 28, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  2. ^ Forward with Andrew Yang (November 22, 2021). Positive Populism with Van Jones | Forward with Andrew Yang. YouTube. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Platform — Forward Party". Forward Party. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021. [non-primary source needed]
  4. ^ a b "New 'Forward Party' won't pick policies on big issues but will set boundaries". CBS 8. July 29, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  5. ^ Busch, Andrew (October 20, 2021). "Can Third Parties Make a Difference in 2024?". RealClearPolitics. Archived from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  6. ^ Beals, Monique (September 23, 2021). "Yang's new party will be called 'The Forward Party'". The Hill. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2022. The book also details the principles that will guide Yang's party, including "ranked-choice voting and open primaries," "fact-based governance" and "human-centered capitalism."
  7. ^ "Former US Democrat Andrew Yang launches centrist 'Forward Party'". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Savage, Luke (October 10, 2021). "Andrew Yang's New Political Party Exposes the Farce of Radical Centrism". Jacobin. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c Reid, Tim (July 28, 2022). "Former Republicans and Democrats form new third U.S. political party". Reuters. Archived from the original on July 28, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Holzberg, Melissa (October 6, 2021). "Yang leverages name recognition, fundraising power to launch Forward Party". OpenSecrets. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  11. ^ "Frequently asked questions". October 5, 2021. Archived from the original on October 11, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021. Is the Forward Party a political party? The Forward Party is a PAC that plans to grow its support and then petition the FEC for recognition as a political party when we fulfill the requirements…
  12. ^ a b c d "Andrew Yang's new 3rd party will be called 'The Forward Party,' according to his forthcoming book". Insider Inc. Archived from the original on November 23, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  13. ^ a b c "Andrew Yang's Third-Party Aspirations". The New Yorker. October 21, 2021. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2021. There will be Forward Democrats and progressives, Forward Republicans and conservatives, Forward independents and unaligned, and so on.
  14. ^ a b "Former Republicans and Democrats to form third US political party, co-chaired by Andrew Yang". South China Morning Post. Reuters. July 28, 2022. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  15. ^ a b Thompson, Alex (September 9, 2021). "Andrew Yang to launch a third party". Politico. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  16. ^ "Andrew Yang discusses new book and big ideas in live forum". NPR. October 2, 2021. Archived from the original on October 15, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  17. ^ a b c Forward with Andrew Yang (October 4, 2021). Krystal Ball interviews Andrew Yang about starting a new political party. YouTube. Archived from the original on October 14, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  18. ^ Schwartz, Rafi (September 30, 2021). "Andrew Yang needs to stop trying to make Andrew Yang happen". Mic. Archived from the original on October 1, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  19. ^ a b "Andrew Yang Is Back for a Third Round". The New York Times. September 30, 2021. Archived from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  20. ^ "Frequently asked questions". Forward Party. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021. Also, due to the current electoral process, in the vast majority of races the Forward Party will be involved in, the candidate is likely to be running as a member of one of the major parties.
  21. ^ "Frequently asked questions". The Forward Party. October 5, 2021. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021. It's too soon to tell, but if there is demand for a third-party candidate, the Forward Party may look to address it. The Forward Party may hold its own primary process to nominate a candidate.
  22. ^ "Our Team". The Forward Party. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  23. ^ a b c d "What the Hell Is Andrew Yang's Forward Party of Minnesota". Racket Minnesota. February 10, 2022. Archived from the original on February 10, 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  24. ^ "Ex-broadcaster Hepola launches 3rd party governor bid". MPR News. Archived from the original on March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  25. ^ Uren, Adam (May 31, 2022). "Andrew Yang-backed Cory Hepola abandons gubernatorial bid". Bring Me The News. Archived from the original on June 16, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  26. ^ Chen, Shawna (July 28, 2022). "Yang announces new Forward party with other centrist groups". Axios. Archived from the original on July 28, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  27. ^ Chen, Shawna (July 27, 2022). "Yang announces new Forward party with other centrist groups". Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  28. ^ WHYY Staff (August 2, 2022). "Joe Sestak, Christine Todd Whitman join Forward Party, a new third political party". Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  29. ^ "Centrists to launch Forward, new third US political party". The Guardian. Reuters. July 27, 2022. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  30. ^ "Connecticut Gov. Lamont receives third ballot line in November". MSN. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  31. ^ a b c d "Can the Forward Party move forward". Southwest Times Record. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  32. ^ "Break-away Democrats and Republicans form new "Forward Party"". CBS News. Retrieved November 14, 2022. We'll do anything we can to make sure that Donald Trump does not get near the White House. And so we will not, in any way, be a spoiler in that kind of contest. ... If [Donald Trump is a nominee and we run] were to increase the odds of him winning, no, [we will not run in the 2024 presidential election]
  33. ^ a b Lahut, Jake. "Andrew Yang's new 3rd party will be called 'The Forward Party,' according to his forthcoming book". Business Insider. Archived from the original on November 23, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  34. ^ "Automatic Tax Filing". Forward Party. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021. [non-primary source needed]
  35. ^ Breaking Points (October 4, 2021). Exclusive: Andrew Yang REVEALS Plans for Third Party. YouTube. Archived from the original on November 4, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2022.[non-primary source needed]
  36. ^ "Breaking Up with the Democratic Party". Andrew Yang. Archived from the original on December 4, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.[non-primary source needed]
  37. ^ "'No One Even Came to His First Two Parties': Twitter Mocks The Stuffing Out of News That Andrew Yang Is Starting a Third Party". Mediaite. September 9, 2021. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  38. ^ Aleem, Zeeshan (October 6, 2021). "Andrew Yang's Forward Party is directionless". MSNBC. Archived from the original on October 9, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  39. ^ Shure, Natalie (October 13, 2021). "Andrew Yang's Vapid Third-Party Vision". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  40. ^ a b Gawthorpe, Andrew (August 1, 2022). "Sorry, Andrew Yang – a new third party won't fix America's political problems". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  41. ^ "Serious question @AndrewYang what changed about Democratic party since you ran less than two years ago as a Democrat for President and last year as a Democrat for mayor? I mean other than fact voters rejected you". Archived from the original on June 1, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.

External links

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