The Forward Party has added two more officeholders to its list of affiliated members from other political organizations, this time from two of Pennsylvania’s largest cities. Both officials have aligned with the organization as Forward Republicans.
The Forward Party defines Affiliates as elected officials who “retain their party registration with one of the two major parties, but publicly join with Forward and pledge to govern according to this values-based platform.” The party has since accumulated Affiliates in several states, including Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Colorado.
Earlier in August, the Forward Party welcomed the support of Philadelphia City Commissioner Seth Bluestein. Elected in 2022 as a Republican, Bluestein is now facing reelection and will be on the ballot next year. In the press release, Bluestein emphasized a commitment to fair elections and highlighted the Forward Party’s support of a “people-first election system.” He also saw his new affiliation as a demonstration of prioritizing local voters’ interests.
The following week, the party also announced that it had affiliated with Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala across the state in Pittsburgh.
[Zappala] has won both Democratic and Republican primaries, showing his broad-based and cross-partisan appeal, the Forward Party stated in its release. “He’s the type of candidate that this country needs.” Zappala, a Democrat throughout his public service life, lost the Democratic primary for Allegheny County District Attorney to a county public defender earlier this year but won the Republican primary in a write-in campaign and will appear on the ballot.
In addition to announcing their affiliations, the Forward Party also included that it was formally supporting both individuals’ reelection campaigns.