Some former Democratic and Republican officials have banded together and planned to form a new political party called Forward, in an attempt to appeal to what they called the "moderate, common-sense majority."
In a statement released on Wednesday, David Jolly, Christine Todd, and Andrew Yang said that political extremism is ripping the United States apart. They argued that the two major parties have failed to remedy the crisis of the nation. Yang said that today's outdated parties have failed to cater to the fringes, resulting in most Americans feel they are not represented.
New Moderate Political Party
Jolly is a former Republican congressman from Florida, Whitman is a former Republican governor of New Jersey, and Yang is a former Democratic presidential and New York mayoral candidate. The three officials will merge their political organizations into the new party moving forward.
They cited issues including guns, climate change, and abortion as those that could benefit from a moderate approach. Furthermore, the new party will also advocate ranked-choice voting and open primaries, the end of gerrymandering, and nationwide protection for voting rights, as per CNN.
In an interview, Yang said that 62% of Americans are now looking for a third party, which is a record high number due to them seeing that current leaders are not getting things done. He added that when asked about the policy goals, the majority of Americans actually agree on really even divisive issues.
The new moderate party is planning a national convention next summer and will soon seek ballot access to run candidates in 2024. Forward said in a news release that it would also launch a "national building tour this fall to hear from voters and begin laying the groundwork for expanded state-by-state party registration and ballot access."
According to the New York Post, the situation comes as New York City Republican Party activists are encouraging thousands of GOP members to temporarily enroll in the Democratic Party to help elect the most moderate or conservative candidates on the left.
Fighting for Democracy
Due to the Democratic Party's gerrymandering debacle, there is no deadline for re-enrolling in a political party for the Aug. 23 primary. This means that voters can change their party registration at the voting booth on primary day by filling out an affidavit ballot.
Former longtime Brooklyn Republican Party chairman Craig Eaton said that he was speaking to Republican leaders about the issue. He added that they have created an opportunity for Republicans to elect moderate Democrats.
Business mogul John Catsimatidis, who has previously helped bankroll the city Republican Party and ran for mayor in 2013, said GOP members should consider crossing over and crashing the Democratic party primaries to try to make a difference.
Forward's announcement also said that the group's advisers include not only former U.S. presidential candidates, members of Congress, and governors, but also Cabinet officials, entrepreneurs, and grassroots leaders. The group said that it has thousands of volunteers in all 50 states across the United States.
The new political party plans to recruit candidates to run for office at the local, state, and national levels. Despite not having its own candidates for the 2022 midterms, Forward will announce support for select candidates who it says stand up for democracy, CBS News reported.
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