Forward-Independence Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chairman | Philip Fuehrer |
| Founded | 1992; 33 years ago (1992) (as the Independence Party of Minnesota) |
| Ideology | Classical liberalism Radical centrism |
| Political position | Center |
| National affiliation | Forward Party |
| Colors | Purple |
| State Senate | 0 / 67 |
| State House | 0 / 134 |
| U.S. Senate | 0 / 2 |
| U.S. House | 0 / 8 |
| Website | |
| www | |
TheForward-Independence Party, a reverse merger of theForward Party of Minnesota and theIndependence-Alliance Party of Minnesota, formerly theIndependence Party, and also formerly theReform Party of Minnesota (1996–2000), is apolitical party in theU.S. state ofMinnesota. It was the party of formerMinnesota governorJesse Ventura when he left theReform Party.
Originally an affiliate of theReform Party, the IPM was later affiliated with theIndependence Party of America and for a time had no national affiliation. But between 2019 and 2025, it was affiliated with theAlliance Party. The party has fielded candidates for most state-wide races and was considered a major party by the state from 1994 to 2014.[1][2] It lost that status when none of its state-wide candidates won 5% of the vote in the2014 gubernatorial election.
The party, which was represented in theU.S. Senate byDean Barkley in 2002–2003, nominated formerU.S. RepresentativeTim Penny as its candidate in the2002 gubernatorial election,Peter Hutchinson in2006 and Tom Horner in2010.
Phil Madsen and otherRoss Perot supporters formed the Independence Party of Minnesota inBloomington, Minnesota, on July 22, 1992.Dean Barkley ran for a seat in theUnited States House of Representatives in the1992 election.[3]
Other supporters led by Don Dow, State Director, and Victoria Staten, Assistant State Director and Ross Perot's spokesperson on NAFTA, worked as part ofUnited We Stand America, and some eventually found their way to the Independence Party after the elections. Over the following years, the party began to field candidates in other state races.
On June 22, 1996, the party affiliated with theReform Party of the United States of America and became the Reform Party of Minnesota (RPMN).[3]
Bob Lessard ofInternational Falls, joined the party in 2001 after he was re-elected to the Senate as an independent with 54.3% of the vote.[4]Sheila Kiscaden, a incumbent Republican, was reelected to theMinnesota Senate in 2002 with the party's nomination after she failed to win the Republican nomination.[5]
The state party carried that name until it disaffiliated from the national party in 2000 due to factional dissent and the increasing influence ofPat Buchanan within the party. The party immediately changed its name back to Independence Party on March 4, 2000.[6][3] After his most influential opponents left the party, Buchanan went on to become the Reform Party's candidate for president.
On 2004'sSuper Tuesday, March 2, the party heldcaucuses around the state along with Minnesota's other three parties. Since the organization had no national party affiliation, it merely ran astraw poll to gauge the opinions of members with regard to the available presidential candidates in the2004 election. For the poll, the group usedinstant-runoff voting, a voting method that has been gaining interest in the state. Additionally, the party had several fairly progressive agenda items to vote on. For a bit of levity, there was also a vote on themascot to use for the party. Three top possibilities were thebison,hawk, andwhite buffalo. Technology was also involved in the IPM's caucusing, as it used the Internet to conduct a two-day online "virtual caucus" for people who were unable to attend the evening of Super Tuesday.
On March 5, 2004, the party announced that the presidential winner wasJohn Edwards, who had privately circulated his decision to withdraw shortly before IP members voted. The Super Tuesday ballot was probably the first statewide experiment in instant-runoff voting. The Bison, to be named Indy, won the mascot vote, out-polling the nearest competitors by a 19% margin.
In May 2005,Peter Hutchinson, who wasMinnesota Finance Commissioner in theRudy Perpich administration, announced that he was planning to seek the Independence Party's nomination for governor in the 2006 election. Hutchinson finished 3rd of 6 earning 141,735 votes for 6.4% of the total vote.[7]
In the 2006 elections, IP5th district congressional candidate Tammy Lee received 51,456 votes for 21.01% of the total vote.[8] Lee's strong showing resulted in part from her unusually strong (for third parties) fundraising, Lee raised $228,938[9] for her run.
In May 2008, a "Draft Dean Barkley" movement startedon the web to encourage the former senator to run again. He accepted, andfinished third, winning a significant 15% of all votes cast. His candidacy had a significant impact on a race in which the eventual winnerAl Franken and then-incumbent SenatorNorm Coleman were separated by only 312 votes. Two other federal candidates, David Dillon in the 3rd congressional district and Bob Anderson in the 6th congressional district, received 10% of the vote in their races. 2008 is the high-water mark for the Minnesota Independence Party in both the number of federal candidates running and the percent of vote received—both key measures of the base of support.
In 2010, gubernatorial candidate Tom Horner, a former public relations executive and chief of staff to U.S. SenatorDavid Durenberger received 12% of the vote,[10] nearly doubling the total of previous IP gubernatorial candidatePeter Hutchinson. Horner polled as high as 18% in the weeks leading up to the election,[11] but was significantly outspent by the GOP and DFL candidates and the third-party expenditure groups supporting their candidacies. Horner did receive endorsement from three of the state's five living ex-governors: RepublicansArne Carlson andAl Quie as well as Ventura. Former U.S. Senate candidate and prominent Minnesota attorneyMike Ciresi also endorsed Horner.[12] Most Minnesota newspapers including theStar Tribune,St. Paul Pioneer Press,St. Cloud Times,Duluth News Tribune, andRochester Post-Bulletin, as well as North Dakota'sGrand Forks Herald endorsed the IP candidate.[13]
In 2014, the Independence Party endorsed several candidates for state and national office: Hannah Nicollet forgovernor, Kevin Terrell forU.S. Senate, attorney Brandan Borgos for Minnesota Attorney General, whistleblower Pat Dean for state auditor, Bob Helland for secretary of state, John Denney for US congress CD-6,Paula Overby for US congress CD-2 and Iraq War veteran Dave Thomas for US congress CD-4.[14]
In2016, the party endorsedEvan McMullin, a formerCIA agent and former chief policy director for theHouse Republican Conference, forPresident.[15]
In 2025, it was announced that the Independence Party would merge with the Minnesota affiliate of theForward Party and will become the "Forward-Independence Party of Minnesota".[16]
Historically, the Independence Party of Minnesota tended to leanconservative with regards to taxation and other fiscal matters. For example, "personal responsibility" is a core principle of the party as is a "[G]overnment that is fiscally responsible: equitable in its collection of taxes, careful in its spending, and honest in its financial reporting." Many IP candidates have campaigned for tax reform that produces more stable revenues for the state. The IP platform states, "We support government budgets that are structurally balanced and avoid shifting of expenses or borrowing to make them appear balanced."
In social policy the party tends to take moreliberal-libertarian positions on issues such asabortion,gay marriage, and civil rights and liberties. One of its core principles is that "All citizens deserve equal rights, protection, and opportunity under the law. In our party and public affairs, we are ever vigilant to promote only those rules and laws which assure equity and freedom for all citizens."[17]
Jesse Ventura described the party, as well as his own personal philosophy, as "fiscally conservative andsocially liberal."
At the party's state convention in 2012, delegates passed three new resolutions. One addressed the party's opposition to raiding dedicated state funds to balance general obligations. A second expressed frustration with the overuse of constitutional amendments. A third proposed eliminating legislative pay in the event of a state shutdown like the one that occurred in the summer of 2011.[18] Party delegates also adopted two standing resolutions against both the marriage amendment and the voter ID amendment on the state ballot in November 2012.[19]
During the 2013 IP convention, the body amended the party platform to support the legalization, taxation and regulation ofmarijuana.[20] Delegates also lifted the party's prohibition on receiving money from political action committees, citing the need to instead fight for transparency and accountability in Minnesota campaign spending in the aftermath ofCitizens United.[21]
The Independence Party of Minnesota joined the Minnesotans United for All Families coalition in 2011 after chair Mark Jenkins announced the party's official opposition to the marriage amendment, citing the party's own platform in its opposition.[22]
The IP is also a longtime supporter of ranked choice voting (RCV) and FairVote Minnesota, which seeks to expand RCV throughout Minnesota.[23] The party uses RCV to conduct intraparty endorsements including delegates' decision to "not endorse" for U.S. Senate in 2012.
Following the party's official vote to oppose the 2012 voter ID amendment, the campaign seeking to defeat the amendment, "Our Vote, Our Future", announced former IP gubernatorial candidate Tim Penny as one of its campaign co-chairs.[24] Another former IP gubernatorial candidate, Tom Horner, was named as a member of the group's advisory committee.[25]
On May 4, 2019, the Independence Party of Minnesota merged withAlliance Party, joining other third parties including theModern Whig Party, theAmerican Party of South Carolina, and the American Moderates.[26]
The Independence-Alliance Party of Minnesota and Forward Party of Minnesota merged in conventions on July 26, 2025. The new name is Forward Independence.[27] 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.[28] In the end, they decided to have a "collaborative relationship" with the Alliance Party and encourage national merger talks. The parties agreed to merge in a reverse merger with the Forward name merging into the Independence party legal structure.
| Year | Presidential nominee | National Affiliation | Votes in Minnesota |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | EndorsedRoss Perot | Independent | 23.96% |
| 1996 | Ross Perot | Reform Party | 11.75% |
| 2000 | Pat Buchanan | Reform Party | 0.91% |
| 2004 | No Endorsement | ||
| 2008 | |||
| 2012 | |||
| 2016 | Evan McMullin | Independent | 1.80% |
| 2020 | Rockey De La Fuente | Alliance Party | 0.17% |
| 2024 | No Endorsement | ||
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