The Massachusetts Forward Party held its inaugural convention on Sunday, selecting new state leadership and adopting formal bylaws. Until now, party operations were overseen by a state lead affiliated with the national organization.
Members gathered in Waltham for the state group’s first-ever annual convention. According to a summary of the afternoon published in the Boston Herald, the party reported approximately 100 people as attending the event. It was hosted by former Massachusetts Lt. Governor Kerry Healey, who also serves as executive chair on the national Forward Party board.
Spencer Morin Reynolds was elected the party’s first official state chair, defeating challenger Cole Nardone. Sean Diamond, a former candidate for the state legislature, was elected vice chair. Nardone, Max Asker, Mark Warner, and Keoni Aricayos were also chosen to serve as at-large members of the state Executive Committee. Additionally, the party formally adopted bylaws and began work on drafting a platform.
Aricayos, a national Forward Party state coordinator, had previously overseen party operations, taking over from Diamond who stepped back in early 2024 to focus on his campaign for the state legislature. The party’s earliest supporters first began organizing in 2022. Under Aricayos’ leadership, the group gathered and submitted enough signatures to be recognized as a political designation in Massachusetts, allowing unenrolled candidates to appear on the ballot with the Forward Party label.
Since qualifying for designation status, only Diamond has appeared on the ballot under the Forward label. As a candidate for the 9th Middlesex District, he received 1,219 votes, or 6.6% of the total in a three-way race.
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