Some Republicans and Democrats have combined forces to create the national party Forward, according to a report from Reuters.
U.S. voters, with rare exceptions, have been limited to two political parties in deciding who will represent them in government. Texas tech entrepreneur Ross Perot stunned the mainstream Democratic and Republican parties when he won almost 20 percent of the votes during the 1992 presidential election. In fact, he led all presidential candidates in June polling that year with almost 40 percent of likely voters indicating they would vote for him in November.
His campaign sort of fell apart at the seams, but he still managed to win the most votes of any third-party presidential candidate in U.S. history.
Former Democratic Party presidential candidate Andrew Yang and former N.J. Republican Gov. Christine Whitman will cochair the new national political party.
The Forward Party hopes to appeal to millions of voters they say are dismayed with what they see as America’s broken two-party system. Yang cites a Gallup poll that shows a plurality of voters think the country needs a third political party.
Forward will start with a large candidate pool and plenty of resources thanks to building on earlier attempts at creating a viable third party. The Renew America Movement, formed in 2021, was built by former officials in the Reagan, Bush I, Bush II and Trump administrations. The Serve America Movement was created by a group of Democrats, Republicans and Independents, also in 2021.
The Renew America and Serve America movements will merge with Forward. The new centrist party has not outlined any specific policies to buttress its slogan: “Not left. Not right. FORWARD.”
Forward aims to register and get on the ballot in 30 states by the end of 2023. It hopes to be on the ballot in all 50 states in time for the 2024 general election. It plans to compete in local races for school boards and city councils, in state houses, the U.S. Congress and — of course — the presidency.
Yang said during an interview that the party will begin with about $5 million in the bank. “It has donors lined up and a grassroots membership between the three merged groups numbering in the hundreds of thousands” to help promote viable candidates.
“We are starting in a very strong financial position,” said Yang. “Financial support will not be a problem.”
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