Forward Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | FWD |
| Chairperson | Kerry Healey |
| CEO (Chief executive officer) | Lindsey Williams Drath |
| Founding Co-Chairs | |
| CSO (Chief Strategist Officer) & COO (Chief Operating Officer) | Matt Shinners |
| Founder | Andrew Yang |
| Founded | October 5, 2021; 4 years ago (2021-10-05) |
| Merger of | Forward Party (original PAC) Renew America Movement Serve America Movement |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Youth wing | Young Forwardist |
| Membership(2025) |
|
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Center |
| Colors | Purple |
| Slogan |
|
| Senate | 0 / 100 |
| House of Representatives | 0 / 435 |
| State governors | 0 / 50 |
| State upper chambers[a] | 1 / 1,972 |
| State lower chambers | 0 / 5,411 |
| Territorial governorships | 0 / 5 |
| Territorial upper chambers | 0 / 97 |
| Territorial lower chambers | 0 / 91 |
| Other elected officials | 6[2] (January 2026)[update] |
| Website | |
forwardparty | |
TheForward Party (shortenedForward orFWD) is acentrist political party in the United States. The party was founded by formerDemocratic 2020 presidential and2021 New York City mayoral candidateAndrew Yang and former New Jersey GovernorChristine Todd Whitman. It describes its goals as the reduction ofpartisan polarization and the implementing ofelectoral reforms. The party is looking to achieve ballot access in all 50 states by 2025 and federal recognition by 2028.
Forward was officially formed as apolitical action committee (PAC) on October 5, 2021. The PAC intended to seek recognition from theFederal Election Commission as a political party to achieve its stated goal of providing an alternative to the twomajor U.S. political parties. It also stated that, for the time being, candidates affiliated with the organization will remain members of the two major American political parties andthird parties, as well asindependent candidates. On July 27, 2022, the Forward Party announced that it had merged with theServe America Movement and theRenew America Movement to further its effort to form a new third party named Forward.
Ideologically, Forward ispopulist andreformist, and a representative ofcentrism in the United States. It considers itself to be the center within theAmerican political spectrum, although the party has also been described asbig tent orsyncretic due to its unwillingness on holding any firm stances or positions,[3] and its rejection of theleft–right political spectrum. The party'sAmerican-style populism, particularly in its early platform, focused towardindependent voters and those dissatisfied with theAmerican two-party system,[4] and advocated auniversal basic income withinhumanistic capitalism. It continues to supportelectoral and democratic reform (favoring in particular:nonpartisan primaries), independentredistricting commissions, andranked-choice voting.[5]
The party's principles and positions have been positively commented by the likes ofKara Swisher, while they have been criticized by some on theAmerican Left as a rebranding for thestatus quo, uninspiring and lacking vision, and questioned its populism and third party aspirations. Forward has also been criticized by someDemocrats for the possibility of thespoiler effect that could favorRepublicans; the party has disputed this claim.
In his bookForward: Notes on the Future of Our Democracy (2021), Andrew Yang announced the creation of the party.[6] Yang also criticized American political leaders, writing that "our leaders are rewarded based not on solving problems but on accruing resources and retaining office."[7][8][9] Yang said that part of the reason why he wanted to start a third party instead of acaucus within the Democratic Party was that a majority of states with ballot initiatives arered states, and that efforts to institute electoral changes would be partisan and not system-wide.[10][11] Yang stated that he would have liked to have implemented the Forward Party's platform within the Democratic Party; however, he felt that the implementation ofranked-choice voting andopen primaries would be difficult to get while remaining a Democrat.[12]
On October 5, 2021, Yang launched the Forward Party as a PAC, with the intention of creating a political party.[13][7] The Forward Party stated that it would endorse candidates of both major parties in the2022 midterm elections who support its policies.[12] Yang stated that the Forward Party would not serve a spoiler because it would endorse any Democrats and Republicans who support the party's platform. The Forward Party website suggests that candidates affiliated with the Forward Party would likely run as a member of one of the two major parties.[13] Yang stated that the Forward Party is not interested in running a candidate forU.S. president but is focused on trying to decrease partisan gridlock within Congress and state legislatures.[10] The Forward Party stated it may hold its own primary process to nominate a candidate prior to the2024 United States presidential election.[13]
In November 2021, Yang discussed the Forward Party withVan Jones about "positive populism, finding common ground, and why Democrats often end up having to defend the status quo".[4] In February 2022, the Forward Party choseMinnesota as the first state to launch an affiliate party.[14] According to Yang, Minnesota was chosen because there are "open primaries, public resources for candidates [and the state has] an independent spirit".[14] The Minnesota affiliate is being headed by John Denney, who ran for the sixth district in the2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota as a member of theIndependence Party of Minnesota.[14] Denney attempted to getRichard Painter, who served as the chief White House ethics lawyer in theGeorge W. Bush administration, to run as a member of the Forward Party in the2022 Minnesota Attorney General election.[14] Cory Hepola, a radio host, announced he was running as a member of the Forward Party in the2022 Minnesota gubernatorial election.[15] He later withdrew from the race.[16]
In July 2022, the Forward Party,Renew America Movement, andServe America Movement announced that they would be merging in an attempt to form a new third party.[17][18] The new party, named simply Forward, would be co-chaired by Andrew Yang and former New Jersey governorChristine Todd Whitman.[19] Shortly after launching, former Pennsylvania Democratic U.S. RepresentativeJoe Sestak and former Florida Republican U.S. RepresentativeDavid Jolly both announced they would be joining the party.[19][20] They also announced that the party would launch on September 24, 2022, with its first national convention in summer 2023.[17]
The Forward Party's affiliate, the Griebel-Frank for CT Party, appeared in the2022 Connecticut gubernatorial election.The Griebel-Frank for CT Party endorsed the incumbent governorNed Lamont.[21] Following the election, the party won 0.23% of the vote, failing to cross the 1% minimum to stay on the ballot for the 2026 governor's race without a petition drive.[22][23]
On January 27, 2023, Forward and theCommon Sense Party of California announced a coalition in California, with the goal of achieving 73,000 registered voters in order to become a qualified political party in the state.[24]
On October 18, 2023, the South Carolina Independence Party announced that the party was merging with the Forward Party, makingSouth Carolina the third state in which Forward is ballot-qualified after Florida and Utah.[25][26] The Forward Party had no plans to run a candidate for president in 2024 and instead planned on working to elect state and local officials.[27] The party stated they would "do anything we can to make sure thatDonald Trump does not get near theWhite House".[28]
On April 2, 2025, theUnited Utah Party announced plans to merge with the Forward Party of Utah,[29] and during a joint convention on April 26, members of both parties voted in favor of the merger.[30]
TheIndependence-Alliance Party of Minnesota and Forward Party of Minnesota merged in conventions on July 26, 2025. The new name is Forward Independence.[31] There was some confusion, as the Independence-Alliance Party of Minnesota was affiliated with theAlliance Party on the national level. State Independence-Alliance Party officials said they would continue a "dual national affiliation" until the 2027 party convention by which time they hope both national branches will merge.[32] In the end, they decided to have a "collaborative relationship" with the Alliance Party and encourage national merger talks.
On November 6, 2025, a partnership was announced with theArizona Independent Party, which provides ballot access toIndependents.[33]
The Forward Party focuses on a values-based platform rather than a traditional policy platform, encouraging candidates to propose innovative and data-driven solutions to local challenges. The Forward Party requires all candidates it endorses to sign a candidate pledge. The main points of the pledge states: "Democracy only works when people respect the established rules and the electoral system is set up to elevate the voice of the voter ... Candidates should work collaboratively to craft long-term solutions to their community's most pressing problems ... Public servants should be role models for the community."[34]
In May 2023, Jordan Marlowe, themayor ofNewberry, Florida, announced that he was switching his party registration fromLibertarian to Forward, becoming the party's first sitting executive.[35] On June 21, 2023, two Democratic members of thePennsylvania State Senate announced they were joining the Forward Party. SenatorsAnthony H. Williams andLisa Boscola announced that, while they were retaining their Democratic Party affiliation and caucus membership, they were also affiliating with the Forward Party and would be labeled as "Forward Democrats" according to the Forward Party.[36][37]
In August 2023,Philadelphia City Commissioner Seth Bluestein and Allegheny County District AttorneyStephen Zappala announced their affiliation as Forward Republicans.[38][39][40] In November 2023,Stonington Town Selectwoman Danielle Chesebrough became a member of the Forward Party, and was reelected on an independent Forward Party ticket. She became the Forward Party's first elected official inConnecticut.[41] In total, the Forward Party considered to have elected Forwardists Danielle Chesebrough of Connecticut as Stonington First Selectman, James Kole of Maryland as Laurel Councilman, Seth Bluestein of Pennsylvania as Philadelphia City Commissioner, Chris Woodward of Pennsylvania as Lower Heidelberg Twp Auditor, and Steve Zappala of Pennsylvania as Allegheny District Attorney.[42]
In March 2025,Daniel Thatcher left the Republican Party and announced his affiliation with the Forward Party, bringing Forward Party representation to theUtah Senate.[43] In December 2025, Thatcher retired and was replaced by Forward memberEmily Buss in a special election that usedapproval voting.[44]
In 2023, the Forward Party gained ballot access in Florida, South Carolina, and Utah.[45] Five candidates ran for various offices throughout Utah in the2024 United States elections.[46] In June 2023, Christine Todd Whitman, one of the party's founding-co-chairs, said that the party's goal was to achieve ballot access in all 50 states by 2025.[47] In early 2024, the party added Colorado and Virginia, where it qualifies to have its name printed on ballots if its candidates get on the ballot via petition. In Colorado, it qualified as a minor party.[48] In August 2024, Lindsey Williams Drath, the party's CEO, said that Forward hoped to achieve federal recognition by 2028.[49]
After its merger and official founding in July 2022, the party's positions included founding co-chairs Andrew Yang (2020 Democratic presidential candidate),[17]Christine Todd Whitman (former Republicangovernor of New Jersey),[19] andMichael S. Willner (businessman), as well as co-CEOs Matt Shinners (from July–September 2022 and then interim CEO from September 2022–February 2023, when he became the chief strategy and operating officer) andMiles Taylor (former Republican who served asHomeland Security official in theTrump administration).[17][19]David Jolly, another former Republican who had joined theServe America Movement, was also reported to take a leadership role.[50]
Other individuals in party positions include chief executive officer Lindsey Williams Drath (formerRepublican National Convention member),[49] chairpersonKerry Healey (former Republican andLieutenant Governor of Massachusetts underMitt Romney),[51] national organizing director Will Conway (former Republican),[52] and advisory board members likeJoe Sestak (former Democratic U.S. Representative).[53] Forward had 1126 members in California and theCommon Sense Party of California had 15,010 (as of October 20, 2025).[54] It is unclear if they are still working together. Forward had 1043 members in Florida (as of July 21, 2025),[55][56] 439 members in Colorado (as of December 31, 2025),[57] and 3002 members in Utah (as of August 18, 2025).[58] Abbreviated FWD, the party colors are purple, cyan, blue, red, navy blue, and white.[59] Its slogans include "Moving Forward Together" and "Not Left. Not Right. Forward", the latter of which is almost exactly the same as theUnity Party.[17]
The party's original platform was based around what Andrew Yang called "positive populism". It included instituting 18-yearterm limits for members of Congress.[10] It also sought to establish a newcabinet-level Department of Technology. The party supportedcivic juries and advocated for a "citizens' portal". The party supported data as a property right.[5] The party called for an economy based onhumanistic capitalism or what Yang called in 2020 "human-centered capitalism", the enactment ofuniversal basic income,[7][13] and support foralternative forms of measuring economic progress.[5]
The party advocated for automatic tax filing.[60] Forward's former platform supported the implementation of auniversal health care system,[61] and it encouraged states to adoptnonpartisan primaries and implementranked-choice voting,[7][62] a concept Yang draws from political theorist and businesswomanKatherine Gehl calledFinal Five Voting.[citation needed] It also proposed independentredistricting commissions and public finance reform in the form ofdemocracy dollars.[5] The party encourages people to maintain their membership in the Democratic and Republican parties as to not disenfranchise them by leaving them unable to vote in party primaries.[63][64] As a consequence, Forward plans to endorse candidates from both major and third parties, as well as independents who advocate for the core values rather than field their own.[63]
Upon merging with the Renew America Movement and Serve America Movement in July 2022, Forward was described as centrist.[17] It eliminated its party platform and instead announced they would take an approach that seeks common ground among Americans.[27] Two pillars of the new party's platform were to "reinvigorate a fair, flourishing economy" and to "give Americans more choices in elections, more confidence in a government that works, and more say in our future".[17] Joel Searby, the former Renew America's political director and the then managing director of Forward,[65] said that the party does not plan on taking positions on controversial issues, such asguns andabortion; instead they would leave those issues up to candidates and state and local chapters to decide.[66] Searby also said: "We think that Americans want and need a party that speaks to the needs of their local communities and gives elected officials the flexibility to meet those needs, instead of a rigid, top-down platform that prescribes exactly what you have to believe about any given issue."[27]
Forward takes a specific stance on electoral and democratic reform,[27] and the party continues to support nonpartisan primaries,[67] independent redistricting commissions,[68] ranked-choice voting,[69]STAR voting,[69] andapproval voting.[69] After the Democratic loss in the 2024 United States presidential election, Andrew Yang took part to the "11 Democratic Thinkers on What the Party Needs Right Now" article inPolitico. He wrote: "In many ways, these all boil down to one thing: The Democratic Party should act more democratically. But they will do none of these things. Instead, they will begin jockeying for position within the party to run in 2028. That is why more and more voters will look for options, like the Forward Party, or declare themselves independents as Trump returns to power. Institutions incapable of reform get replaced."[70]
The Forward Party has faced criticism from some Democrats, who believe the party could causevote splitting and benefit Republicans in most jurisdictions,[71] which still usefirst-past-the-post voting. Luke Savage ofJacobin criticized the conception of the party as "pseudo-populism that's ultimately more an effort at rebranding the status quo than overthrowing it".[72]MSNBC opinion columnist Zeeshan Aleem called the Forward Party "an uninspiring mess lacking vision or purpose".[73] Natalie Shure ofThe New Republic characterized the party as "vapid" and a "political stunt", asking "why bother going through the trouble of building a third party if its creation is the only thing it intends to accomplish?"[74]
Andrew Gawthorpe writing inThe Guardian stated that the Forward Party is "likely to collapse under the weight of its own contradictions" as a new third party would not address more fundamental political problems in the United States,[75] a view that had been earlier also echoed byJamelle Bouie.[76] Gawthorpe offered an alternative, suggesting that the Democratic Party is the only viable political party that could counter the stated "threat to U.S. democracy" posed by Republicans.[75] In contrast,New York Times opinion writerKara Swisher praised Yang's bookForward: Notes on the Future of Our Democracy, which inspired the pre-July 2022 positions of the party. Swisher wrote: "Yang does not just give us a laundry list of intractable problems, but shows how we can find solutions if we think in new ways and summon the courage to do so."[8]
| Year | State | Seat | Affiliate Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Place | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 |  South Carolina | Mayor ofGeorgetown | South Carolina Forward Party | Jay Doyle | 1,244 | 55.91% | Elected 1st of 2 | [77][78] | |
 Virginia | House of Delegates District 11 | Forward Party in Virginia | Brandon N. Givens | 581 | 1.87% | 3rd of 3 | [79] | ||
| House of Delegates District 72 | Forward Party in Virginia | Kristin A. Farry | 839 | 1.87% | 3rd of 3 | ||||
| 2024 |  Utah | State Treasurer | Forward Party of Utah | Miles Pomeroy | 76,212 | 5.38% | 3rd of 3 | [80] | |
| State House District 15 | Forward Party of Utah | Josh Smith | 4,783 | 24.30% | 2nd of 2 | ||||
| State School Board District 3 | Forward Party of Utah | Laura Johnson | 26,628 | 30.47% | 2nd of 2 | ||||
 Colorado | Colorado's 5th congressional district | Colorado Forward Party | Christopher Sweat | 1,627 | 0.45% | 6th of 6 | [81] | ||
| State House District 36 | Colorado Forward Party | Eric Mulder | 8,532 | 28.46% | 2nd of 2 | ||||
Is the Forward Party a political party? The Forward Party is a PAC that plans to grow its support and then petition the FEC for recognition as a political party when we fulfill the requirements...
We'll do anything we can to make sure that Donald Trump does not get near the White House. And so we will not, in any way, be a spoiler in that kind of contest. ... If [Donald Trump is a nominee and we run] were to increase the odds of him winning, no, [we will not run in the 2024 presidential election]
There will be Forward Democrats and progressives, Forward Republicans and conservatives, Forward independents and unaligned, and so on.
