Former Republicans and Democrats form new third US political party

Dozens of former US Republican and Democratic officials have announced a new national political third party in response to America's increasingly polarized and gridlocked political system.

The new party called Forward will initially be co-chaired by former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang and Christine Todd Whitman, the former Republican governor of New Jersey.

The former officials say that voters are dismayed with the country’s dysfunctional two-party system and hope the new party will become a viable alternative to the Republican and Democratic parties that dominate US politics.

In a series of events to be held in two dozen cities this fall, the leaders plan to roll out the party's platform and attract support. The official launch will be held in Houston on Sept. 24, with the leaders planning to hold the party's first national convention in a major US city next summer.

Announcing the formation of the party, they cited a Gallup poll conducted in 2021 which showed a record two-thirds of Americans believe a third party is needed.

The new party, which is centrist, is being formed by a merger of three political groups that have emerged in recent years, Reuters reported.

The merger involves the Renew America Movement, formed in 2021 by dozens of former officials in the Republican administrations of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Donald Trump; the Forward Party, founded by Yang, who left the Democratic Party in 2021 and became an independent; and the Serve America Movement, a group of Democrats, Republicans and independents whose executive director is former Republican congressman David Jolly.

Two pillars of Forward's platform are 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."

The party has no specific policies yet, but, at its Thursday launch, it plans to say, "How will we solve the big issues facing America? Not Left. Not Right. Forward."

Two major US political parties controlled by the same people: Analyst

The two major political parties in the United States are controlled by the same people and corporate money, an American politician says.

The Republican and Democratic Parties are able to take turns electing US presidents and controlling Congress because American system discourages people from supporting third parties, such as the Greens and Libertarians.

It remains unclear how the new Forward party might impact either party's electoral prospects in such a deeply polarized country.

Political analysts are skeptical it can succeed as third party candidates face major challenges in the country, such as the failure to meet the criteria for ballot access. Due to debate access rules, they are even often excluded from participating in presidential debates.

According to political observers, the two major US political parties are heavily influenced by corporate money and the financial markets and lack the power to implement meaningful reforms in the country.

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