The Forward Party’s Christine Todd Whitman and former Libertarian Party vice presidential nominee William Weld are among a list of Republicans openly supporting Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris later this year.
Earlier this month, the Harris campaign announced “Republicans for Harris,” a list of over two dozen Republican Party officials helping with outreach efforts to GOP voters who remain critical of Republican nominee Donald Trump. Included on that list were Christine Todd Whitman, a former New Jersey governor who later helped create the Forward Party, and William Weld, a former Massachusetts governor who ran as Gary Johnson’s vice presidential nominee in 2016.
Weld has since returned to the Republican Party, rejoining in 2019 before mounting an unsuccessful primary campaign against then-President Donald Trump in 2020. He later supported the Biden-Harris ticket. Whitman, however, is still assumed to be involved in the Forward Party even though she is included on the list. Whitman spoke about her role in creating the party and its electoral goals as recently as last month in an interview that is also featured on the Forward Party’s website.
The Forward Party, which runs candidates under its label in some states, is open about its willingness to support candidates from other parties who are sympathetic to its mission. The party also allows elected officials from other parties to hold joint membership, identifying them as “Forward Republicans” or “Forward Democrats.” Additionally, the party has supported local Libertarian Party candidates in Pennsylvania and merged with the Independence Party in South Carolina.
Andrew Yang, one of Whitman’s fellow founding co-chairs, has already endorsed Harris, citing his fear of a potential second Trump administration. The Forward Party’s third founding co-chair, Michael Willner, has not publicly shared how he plans to vote in the upcoming election. The Forward Party announced last April that it would not field a 2024 presidential candidate.
I don’t see anything particularly libertarian or classical liberal leaning about him. His identification with any formal political party is temporary and untrustworthy, but he’s by no means independent of the uniparty, deep state, or whatever your preferred term might be. He clearly wants some kind of opportunities for attention or perceived relevance. What irks him so much about Trump, besides Trump being ever so slightly in miniscule ways better than the same old, same old served up time after time by both major parties at the top of their ticket, even if only in rhetoric?
“William Weld has been a disappointment to me.” – George Whitfield
Ditto, George! Even though I liked Gary Johnson I couldn’t bring myself to vote for a ticket which included Weld.
I was underwhelmed by Weld when he was Governor, and opposed him as strongly as I could when he was sliming his way into the LP, since I didn’t see anything significantly libertarian when he was Gov. Certainly he didn’t have Johnson’s record of vetoes, or other history….
Then AS THE LP VP candidate he screwed us by backing victim disarmament… (aka so-called “Gun Control”) I did NOT vote for him, I did a write-in for Johnson and Vermin Supreme (If we are going to have a clown in DC, might as well be one that’s funny…)
When Weld left the LP my feeling was good riddance to bad rubbish.
So now he’s backing another gun-grabber, like the hypocritical scumbag he is (I bet that he has ARMED security protection…)
ART
I think it unfair to characterize Weld as an opportunist: he DOES have principles. But, he definitely has his own direction.
He was actually a pretty good Governor of Massachusetts, supporting tax cut ideas. I recall that he actually got the Massachusetts legislature to pass a Capital Gain tax cut, which had the interesting feature that the tax would be reduced by a certain percent for each year that you held an asset. This would help reduce the inflation element built into the capital gains taxes. Unfortunately, the Democrats gutted the idea after Weld left office.
I think its best to classify him as a classical Liberal Republican. His family goes way back, and his ancestors were early supporters of abolition, Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt, and he was one of the last who was truly such.
Looks as if us Never Weld proponents were dead on. Maybe now, after the MAGAts took over the LNC we can stop nominating retread Republicans?
William Weld has been a disappointment to me.
“At home, another four years of Donald Trump’s chaotic leadership, this time focused on advancing the dangerous goals of Project 2025, will hurt real, everyday people and weaken our sacred institutions.”
LOL.
“Abroad, democratic movements will be irreparably jeopardized as Trump and his acolyte JD Vance kowtow to dictators like Vladimir Putin while turning their backs on our allies. We can’t let that happen.”
LMAO.
“We’re heartfully calling on these friends, colleagues, neighbors, and family members to take a brave stand once more, to vote for leaders that will strive for consensus, not chaos; that will work to unite, not divide; that will make our country and our children proud. Those leaders are Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz.”
ROFL.
Weld is a statist – always has been – in dire need of a one way helicopter ride.
Weld’s purpose is to stop Trump. He ran as the Libertarian VP when he thought it would give him a platform to attack Trump in 2016 (and taking a lot of flak for saying that Hillary would be better than Trump.) He ran in the Republican primary in 2020 when he thought that would give him a platform to attack Trump. Now he thinks he can do as much damage to Trump as he can by openly supporting Harris. He is still a libertarian leaning Republican, just like he was before. He hasn’t changed and isn’t acting for personal gain.
I don’t know that Weld is really a Republican, Libertarian, or Democrat. Like many people, including politicians, nowadays he’s a whatever it takes for whatever purpose it serves in the moment. Call it what you want to. He’s not an independent either, since he clearly doesn’t eschew registering or running for office or endorsing various parties when it suits him. Quasiindependent opportunist, I guess.