The Forward Party is reflecting on the 2026 election cycle, with party Chief Executive Officer Lindsey Williams Drath showing her appreciation for the more than 170 candidates backed by the party and calling its efforts this year an important mile marker for the organization.
Drath shared her thoughts in a statement published Election Day, as voters were still casting ballots across the country. She called the most recent cycle an important achievement for the organization, primarily as it attempts to develop a political movement intended to unite moderates, conservatives, and progressives behind a common cause.
“This year, the Forward Party has continued to establish itself as a bona fide political party, building the infrastructure necessary to support candidates with voter engagement activities, door-knocking, technology, and our most precious political resource of staff and volunteers who power the work we do,” Drath said.
According to Drath, the Forward Party supported a total of 176 candidates this year, including 31 of what she called “official” Forward Party candidates, referencing those individuals appearing in races Tuesday under the party’s own ballot line. Her overall breakdown includes 23 federally endorsed candidates, 12 endorsed statewide candidates, 72 state legislative candidates, and 69 local and county candidates.
It’s worth noting that while Drath counts 176 candidates, Independent Political Report counted only 168 entries on a list maintained by the national party as of this article’s publication. That collective group includes a mix of independents, Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, and candidates appearing without party labels. Drath also said the party has amassed over 254,000 supporters and over 25,500 volunteers.
Drath continued that the current era of politics must come to an end, lamenting what she calls a culture of “political divisiveness and power hoarding, exacerbated by legacy party purity tests.” She expressed her hope that continuing to support and elect independent-minded candidates would eventually help pull the mainstream political parties away from the political fringes and toward a more constructive dialogue.
“We are honored to be tasked with such an important role of helping guide our collective path back to consensus governance, and to those who support our work,” Drath added. “We are eager about our next steps as an Independent political party, and for the Independent movement as a whole.”
Based on figures previously reported by IPR, this appears to be the party’s highest-candidate year to date. In 2023, IPR identified 24 candidates associated with the Forward Party going into Election Day. The following cycle, that figure jumped significantly, with the party stating in an email at the time that it had supported over 100 candidates. During the 2025 cycle, the party reported in a year-end review that it endorsed 70 candidates. In every cycle, the party backed a mix of candidates across ballot lines similar to its activities this year.
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