THE CANDIDATE

Federal directory · 2026 cycle

Forward Party

The Forward Party is a centrist federal third party founded in 2022 by Andrew Yang, Christine Todd Whitman, and David Jolly, focused on electoral reform — open primaries, ranked-choice voting, and an end to the two-party duopoly.

See every 2026 Forward Party candidate

1 of 1 candidate has filed FEC reports; total raised: $150,000 this 2026 cycle.

About the Forward Party

Federal candidates running on the Forward Party line — a centrist party founded in 2022 advocating for ranked-choice voting, open primaries, and broader electoral reform.

History of the Forward Party

Founded
2022
Founder(s)
Andrew Yang, Christine Todd Whitman, David Jolly

The Forward Party was launched on July 27, 2022 as a merger of three predecessor organizations: Andrew Yang's original group (founded in 2021 after his 2020 Democratic presidential campaign), former Republican Governor Christine Todd Whitman's Renew America Movement, and former Republican Representative David Jolly's Serve America Movement.[1][2] The three founders pitched the new organization as a centrist "big tent" alternative to the two major parties.

Unlike most third parties, the primary focus is structural electoral reform rather than ideological positioning on specific policies. The founding statement explicitly avoids taking partisan positions on contested issues like abortion or gun control, instead committing only to a process platform of open primaries, ranked-choice voting, independent redistricting, and term limits.[1][2]

The organization has achieved ballot access in a small number of states and has endorsed candidates in roughly a dozen federal races since 2022. Andrew Yang has remained its most visible national spokesperson, while state-level chairs have organized affiliates in roughly half the states.[1][2]

Sources

  1. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forward_Party_(United_States)
  2. [2]https://ballotpedia.org/Forward_Party_(United_States)
  3. [3]https://www.forwardparty.com

Forward Party platform

The Forward Party platform is deliberately narrow: rather than taking partisan positions on contested issues, it commits to a "process platform" of structural electoral reforms designed to break the two-party duopoly and reward consensus-building over partisan extremes.[1]

  1. 1. Ranked-choice voting

    Adopt ranked-choice voting for federal elections so voters can rank candidates by preference, eliminating the spoiler effect and the strategic-voting problem.[1][3]

  2. 2. Open primaries

    Replace closed party primaries with open, nonpartisan primaries (also known as "jungle primaries" or "top-four primaries"), allowing every voter to participate regardless of party registration.[1][3]

  3. 3. Independent redistricting

    Move congressional district drawing from state legislatures to independent commissions to reduce gerrymandering and uncompetitive districts.[1][3]

  4. 4. Congressional term limits

    A constitutional amendment to impose term limits on members of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.[1][3]

  5. 5. Grow the pie, not divide it

    The Forward Party explicitly declines to take party-line positions on contested issues like abortion, gun control, or immigration, framing those as questions for voters to decide candidate-by-candidate.[1][3]

Sources

  1. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forward_Party_(United_States)
  2. [2]https://www.forwardparty.com
  3. [3]https://ballotpedia.org/Forward_Party_(United_States)

Recent electoral performance — Forward Party

The Forward Party is the youngest of the seven parties covered on this site (founded 2022) and has not yet contested a presidential election. Its electoral track record consists of a small number of state-legislative wins and federal endorsements.

  • 2023 — Audra Killingsworth elected to Wake County, North Carolina Soil and Water Conservation District, the first partisan-election victory under this banner.[2]
  • 2024 — Former U.S. Representative Jeff Hurd (Colorado) accepted the endorsement during his successful Republican primary and general-election run; the organization does not run candidates of its own in most states yet.[2]
  • No presidential candidate ran in 2024; the organization endorsed an open primary / ranked-choice voting ballot-measure agenda instead.[1][2]

Sources

  1. [1]https://ballotpedia.org/Forward_Party_(United_States)
  2. [2]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forward_Party_(United_States)

Current federal representation — Forward Party

Federal candidates currently filing under this banner for the 2026 cycle, sourced from FEC `cand_pty_affiliation = FWD`.

The organization currently has no federal incumbents in the U.S. House or Senate. Its 2026 cycle filings are challenger candidates only.

Forward Party candidates — 2026 cycle

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