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Forward Party (United States)

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Forward Party
Chief executive officerLindsey Williams Drath
Co-chairs
FounderAndrew Yang
FoundedOctober 5, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-10-05)
Merger ofForward Party (original PAC)
Serve America Movement[1]
Renew America Movement
HeadquartersWashington D.C., U.S.
Membership (2024)CA 22,029,[2] FL 496,[3] CO 100,[4] UT 65[5]
Ideology
Political positionCenter[C]
Colors  Purple   Cyan   Orange
  Blue   Red   Navy   White[7]
Slogan
  • Moving Forward Together.
  • Not Left. Not Right. Forward.
Seats in the Senate
0 / 100
Seats in the House
0 / 435
Governorships
0 / 50
State Upper House Seats[a]
2 / 1,972
State Lower House Seats
0 / 5,411
Other elected officials[b]6 (November 2023)[8][9][10]
Website
forwardparty.com Edit this at Wikidata
^ A: Populism focused towards independents and those dissatisfied with the American two-party system.[11]

^ B: Specifically, electoral and democratic reform, with support for nonpartisan primaries, independent redistricting commissions, ranked-choice voting, and more (see here).[12]

^ C: "Center" within the American political spectrum. The party has also been described as 'big tent' or 'syncretic' due to its unwillingness on holding any firm stances or positions,[6] and the party's rejection of the left–right political spectrum, but rather "Forward".

The Forward Party, also known simply as Forward (FWD), is a centrist[13][14] political party in the United States. The party, 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 the implementing of electoral reforms.[15] As of early 2024, Forward has ballot access in the states of Colorado, Florida, South Carolina, Utah, and Virginia.[16] It is looking to achieve ballot access in all 50 states by the end of 2024 or early 2025.[17] The party seeks federal recognition by 2028.[18]

Forward was officially formed as a political action committee (PAC) on October 5, 2021.[15] The PAC intended 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.[19][20] It also stated 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.[21]

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".[22][23]

History

[edit]

Founding and early history (2021–2022)

[edit]
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."[20][24][25]

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.[26][27] 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.[28]

The Forward Party claims that it will endorse candidates of both major parties in the 2022 elections who support its policies.[28] 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.[29] 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.[26] The Forward Party has stated it may hold its own primary process to nominate a candidate prior to the 2024 United States presidential election.[30] The party's initial team included former congressional candidate Blair Walsingham and attorney Jeff Kurzon.[31]

In February 2022, the Forward Party chose Minnesota as the first state to launch an affiliate party.[32] According to Yang, Minnesota was chosen because there are "open primaries, public resources for candidates [and the state has] an independent spirit."[32] The Minnesota affiliate is being headed by John Denney, who ran for Congress in 2014 as a member of the Independence Party of Minnesota.[32] 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.[32] Cory Hepola, a radio host, announced he was running for Governor of Minnesota as a member of the Forward Party in 2022.[33] He later withdrew from the race.[34]

Mergers and official founding of the party

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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.[23][22] The new party, Forward, would be co-chaired by Yang and former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman.[35] Shortly after launching, former Pennsylvania Democratic Representative Joe Sestak and former Florida Republican Representative David Jolly both announced they would be joining the party.[36][37] They also announced that the party would launch on September 24, 2022, with its first national convention in summer 2023.[38]

The Forward Party's affiliate, the Griebel-Frank for CT Party, appeared on the gubernatorial ballot in the 2022 Connecticut gubernatorial election.The Griebel-Frank for CT Party endorsed incumbent Governor Ned Lamont.[39]

On January 27, 2023, the Common Sense Party of California and Forward Party announced a coalition in California, with the goal of achieving 73,000 registered voters in order to become a qualified political party in the state.[40]

On October 18, 2023, the South Carolina Independence Party announced that the party was merging with the Forward Party, making South Carolina the third state in which the Forward Party is ballot-qualified after Florida and Utah.[41][42]

The Forward Party has no plans to run a candidate for president in 2024 and plans on working to elect state and local officials.[43] The party stated they will "do anything we can to make sure that Donald Trump does not get near the White House."[44]

Early elected officials

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In May 2023, Jordan Marlowe, the mayor of Newberry, Florida, announced that he was switching his party registration from Libertarian to Forward, becoming the party's first sitting executive.[8]

On June 21, 2023, two Democratic members of the Pennsylvania State Senate announced they were joining the Forward Party. Senators Anthony H. Williams and Lisa Boscola announced that, while they were retaining their Democratic Party affiliation and caucus membership, they were also affiliating with the Forward Party and would be labeled as "Forward Democrats" according to the Forward Party.[45][46]

In August 2023, Philadelphia City Commissioner Seth Bluestein and Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala announced their affiliation as Forward Republicans.[9][47][48]

In 2023, Stonington Town Selectwoman Danielle Chesebrough became a member of the Forward Party, and was reelected later that year on an independent Forward Party ticket. She is the Forward Party's first elected official in Connecticut.[49]

Ballot access

[edit]

In 2023, the Forward Party gained ballot access in Florida, South Carolina and Utah. Five candidates are running for various offices throughout Utah in the 2024 general election.[50] In early 2024, the party added Colorado and Virginia.

Political positions

[edit]

Early positions

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The party's original platform included instituting 18-year term limits for members of Congress.[26] It also sought to establish a new cabinet-level Department of Technology. The party supported civic juries and advocated for a "citizens' portal". The party supported data as a property right.[12] The party called for an economy based on "human-centered capitalism", the enactment of universal basic income,[20][51] and support for alternative forms of measuring economic progress.[12]

The party advocated for automatic tax filing.[52] Forward's former platform supported the implementation of a universal health care system,[53] and it encouraged states to adopt nonpartisan primaries and implement ranked-choice voting,[20][51] a concept Yang draws from political theorist and businesswoman Katherine Gehl called Final-Five Voting.[citation needed] It also proposed independent redistricting commissions and public finance reform in the form of democracy dollars.[12] 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.[21][54] 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.[21]

Current positions after mergers

[edit]

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.[43] 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.[6] 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..."[43]

Forward does take a specific stance on electoral and democratic reform.[43] The party supports:[12]

Reception

[edit]

The Forward Party has faced criticism from some Democrats, who believe the party could cause vote splitting and benefit Republicans[58] 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."[14] MSNBC opinion columnist Zeeshan Aleem called the Forward Party "an uninspiring mess lacking vision or purpose".[59] 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?"[60] 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.[61] Gawthorpe offered an alternative, suggesting that the Democratic Party is the only viable political party that could counter the supposed "threat to U.S. democracy" posed by Republicans.[61]

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. Swisher 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."[24]

See also

[edit]

Similar parties in the United States:

Other:

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Includes members of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party who affiliated with the Forward Party
  2. ^ Includes officials in Pennsylvania who are affiliated with the Forward Party

References

[edit]
  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. ^ Secretary of State of California. "Report of Registration - February 20, 2024".
  3. ^ Winger, Richard (May 12, 2024). "New Florida Registration Data". Ballot Access News. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  4. ^ "2024 Voter Registration Statistics". CO SOS. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  5. ^ "Current Voter Registration Statistics – Utah Voter Information". vote.utah.gov. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c "New 'Forward Party' won't pick policies on big issues but will set boundaries". CBS 8. July 29, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  7. ^ https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MuA31ZeuAxCebQNUEXp9EYZ5aLjS8YeD/view?usp=sharing
  8. ^ a b "Newberry Mayor Jordan Marlowe officially changes parties to join the Forward Party". Alachua Chronicle. May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Jessop, Lauren (August 24, 2023). "Two local level officials join Forward Party". The Center Square. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  10. ^ "The Forward Party Celebrates a Night of Significant Victories, Demonstrating the Viability of its Focus on State and Local Elections – Forward Party". Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  11. ^ Andrew Yang (November 22, 2021). Positive Populism with Van Jones. YouTube. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  12. ^ 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]
  13. ^ "Former US Democrat Andrew Yang launches centrist 'Forward Party'". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Savage, Luke (October 10, 2021). "Andrew Yang's New Political Party Exposes the Farce of Radical Centrism". Jacobin. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ "Search Results Forward party | Ballot Access News". February 14, 2024.
  17. ^ Salisbury, Greg (June 1, 2023). "A Q&A with Christine Todd Whitman". City & State Pennsylvania. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  18. ^ Cooper, Kenny (August 20, 2024). "Montco Forward Party candidate scores Pa. ballot access. He's just a piece of a bigger puzzle". WHYY.
  19. ^ "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...
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ a b 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.
  24. ^ 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.
  25. ^ "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.
  26. ^ 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.
  27. ^ 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.
  28. ^ 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.
  29. ^ "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.
  30. ^ "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.
  31. ^ "Our Team". The Forward Party. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  32. ^ 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.
  33. ^ "Ex-broadcaster Hepola launches 3rd party governor bid". MPR News. March 2, 2022. Archived from the original on March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  34. ^ 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.
  35. ^ 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.
  36. ^ 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.
  37. ^ "Joe Sestak, Christine Todd Whitman join Forward Party, a new third political party". WHYY Staff. August 2, 2022. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  38. ^ "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.
  39. ^ "Connecticut Gov. Lamont receives third ballot line in November". MSN. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  40. ^ "Yang's Forward Party eyes California recognition". NewsNation. January 27, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  41. ^ Winger, Richard (October 18, 2023). "South Carolina Independence Party Changes its Name to Forward Party | Ballot Access News". Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  42. ^ "SOUTH CAROLINA INDEPENDENCE PARTY MERGES WITH NATIONAL FORWARD PARTY". South Carolina Forward Party. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  43. ^ a b c d "Can the Forward Party move forward". Southwest Times Record. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  44. ^ "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]
  45. ^ Prose, J. D. (June 21, 2023). "Two Pa. legislators announce their affiliation with centrist Forward Party". pennlive. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  46. ^ "PRESS RELEASE: Pennsylvania Lawmakers Become Forward Party Affiliates, Joining Many Other Elected Officials Across the Country – Forward Party". Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  47. ^ Lyons, Kim (August 17, 2023). "Allegheny County District Attorney Zappala 'affiliates' with Forward Party in reelection bid". Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  48. ^ "Commissioner Seth Bluestein Becomes Forward Party Affiliate, Joining Many Other Elected Officials Across the Country". Yahoo Finance. August 10, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  49. ^ Hewitt, Cate (November 8, 2023). "Chesebrough Wins Third Term in Stonington as Forward Party Candidate". CT Examiner. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  50. ^ "2024 Candidate Filings". vote.utah.gov. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  51. ^ 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.
  52. ^ "Automatic Tax Filing". Forward Party. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021. [non-primary source needed]
  53. ^ 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]
  54. ^ "Breaking Up with the Democratic Party". Andrew Yang. Archived from the original on December 4, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.[non-primary source needed]
  55. ^ "Nonpartisan Primaries". Forward Party. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  56. ^ "Independent Redistricting Commissions". Forward Party. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  57. ^ a b c "Voting Reform". Forward Party. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  58. ^ "'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.
  59. ^ 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.
  60. ^ 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.
  61. ^ 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.
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