Former Democratic and Republican Officials Announce New Party

A group of former Democratic and Republican officials is forming a new centrist party under the name Forward, looking to give voters another choice during a time when confidence in the direction of the country is at an all-time low. 

The Forward (FWD) movement combines three earlier efforts, including the Forward Party initially created by Andrew Yang, the Serve America Movement established by former Republican Congressman David Jolly, and the Renew America Movement led by Republicans disgruntled with the direction of the GOP under Donald Trump. Another prominent political figure identified with Forward includes former Trump administration Homeland Security Chief of Staff Miles Taylor.

Yang and Jolly, along with Christine Todd Whitman representing the Renew America Movement, outlined their intentions for the future in a recent Washington Post op-ed. “The United States badly needs a new political party,” they wrote, “one that reflects the moderate, common-sense majority.”

To the three leaders, the Republican and Democratic Parties have failed in their ability to represent voters by “catering to the fringes.”  A formal announcement was also published on the Forward website around the same time providing further information. 

The nascent party intends to seek ballot access on a state level and run candidates starting in the 2024 election cycle. Plans are also underway for a launch party in September and a national convention scheduled for next summer. Party leaders intend to roll out the platform at a series of events leading up to that time.

While Forward referenced gun control, climate change, and abortion, specific policy positions were largely left unexplored. The party did, however, pledge support for a number of electoral reforms, including ranked-choice voting and open primaries, the end of gerrymandering, and general nationwide efforts to protect voting rights. In the accompanying announcement on its website, Forward also listed its support for candidates and solutions that foster “free people”, “thriving communities”, and a “vibrant democracy”.

To Yang, Jolly, and Whitman, the secret sauce behind a successful third-party effort other than electoral reform is the ability of a third party to remain flexible.

“Most third parties in U.S. history failed to take off, either because they were ideologically too narrow or the population was uninterested,” they wrote, adding that the two major parties have “hollowed out the sensible center of our political system.” Forward additionally plans to open its party to all prospective voters regardless of their current partisan affiliation, giving supporters the opportunity to influence Foward without losing their ability to participate in one of the other major parties.

While Forward won’t be running its own candidates until the following election cycle, it will support “select candidates in November who stand up for our democracy, even if they come from outside the new party.” At this time, Forward has a functioning state affiliate in Minnesota and a presence in states like New York where it has already made endorsements. It is looking to have affiliates on the ground in all other states by 2024.

The full Washington Post op-ed by Andrew Yang, Christine Todd Whitman, and David Jolly can be viewed here.