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Dear
Forward Party supporters,
It has
been quite a year, both for our nation and for the Forward Party. We
have celebrated successes and learned from significant setbacks. We
stand today, more than ever, steeled in our resolve to build a new
political party from the ground up in order to introduce real
competition into the political process. Each time we experienced
challenges along the way we were inspired by the resolve of our
incredible candidates. This morning we continue to draw strength and
resolve from their determination and are so grateful for their
commitment.
Thank you
to each and every Forward-aligned candidate that ran this
year.
In the
wake of the election yesterday, I wanted to write to everyone to give
an update on outcomes from this cycle. Today, I’m focusing on the
results of the election, for our candidates and supported ballot
initiatives. Tomorrow, I’ll write about the infrastructure we built
over the past year.
Presidential Race
The
Forward Party decided early on not to engage in the presidential race.
Too many other efforts start with the presidential and collapse under
the weight of it. However, just because we didn’t engage in it doesn’t
mean we don’t have thoughts about the election and the
outcome.
In the
wake of Donald Trump’s victory, it’s important to reflect on how,
after his first term and his rhetoric during the election season, the
American people decided to return him to power. It shows how truly
broken our political system is, and a Democratic Party that isn’t able
to build a winning coalition of voters. It reflects an electorate that
feels increasingly left behind and desperate for anyone they believe
will rebuild the American dream. Just think about what happened during
this cycle:
The
presidential nominee for the Democratic party was not subjected to a
national democratic process. Debates were canceled, and frontrunners
refused to participate in them. Parties funded extremists in the other
party to have an easier path to victory, only to see that backfire
when the extremist won. Legislatures tried to strip the power from the
people to vote on ballot initiatives, removing a direct path to
self-governance.
The
Forward Party is fighting to build infrastructure to run candidates
who want America to work again. We need to provide an alternative from
this insanity to the American people, and we need each and every one
of you to help us build a new home for those just like us.
Our Candidates
The
primary purpose of a political party is to find and run aligned
candidates. In this cycle, after considering thousands of candidates,
we ended up endorsing over 125 that lived up to the values cited in
our pledge These candidates ran as Forwardists or
affiliates from other parties. They ran in races from school board to
US Senate. They ran representing views from across the ideological
spectrum. But, if they won, they all agreed to respect the rule of law
and the Constitution; act with ethics and integrity; and work with all
potential partners on common ground solutions, no matter their
ideological source.
We are
thrilled to congratulate the following candidates who at the time of
this email have been declared winners:
- Don
Davis, US House from North Carolina
- Dan
Rayfield, OR Attorney General
- Dave
Larson, WA State Supreme Court
- Lydia
Hernandez, AZ State Representative
- Steve
Eliason, UT State Representative
- Rosemary
Lesser, UT State Representative
- Dr.
Jermaine Johnson, SC State Representative
- Jim
Palmisciano, Richmond (RI) Town Council
- Nathan
Hochman, LA (CA) County DA
- Vanessa
Grossl, KY State Representative
- John
Curtis, US Senate from Utah
- Carolina
Jewett, Charleston (SC) School Board
- Michael
Lai, San Francisco Board of Supervisors
- Scott
Bright, CO State Senate
- Lisa
Feret, CO State Representative
- Rhonda
Fields, Arapahoe County Commissioner
- Tony
Hwang, CT State Senate
- Cynthia
Borrego, MN State Representative
- Kathleen
Cates, MN State Representative
- Joshua
Hernandez, MN State Representative
- Jonathan
Cooper, Las Vegas Justice of the Peace
- Phyllis
Bernard, Clallam County (WA) Public Utility District
- Kyle
Curtis, Yakima County (WA) Commissioner
- Bob
Marshall, CO State Representative
- Amy
Roeder, ME State Representative
Here’s
what some of our candidates had to say:
“The Forward Party guide
is truly energizing. All that I have sought to share in meet &
greets, candidate forums, you name it - the principles are all there.
My thanks to everyone who contributed to this effort. It might raise
peoples' spirits to know that a more inclusive, non-partisan approach
even exists.”
-Phyllis
Bernard
“I am
grateful for the [endorsement]. I am excited to have the support of
Forward Party and to close this race out so we can begin to work on
strengthening our democracy and making it more equitable for us
all.”
-Tyrell
Hicks
Ballot Initiatives
State
legislatures are seemingly taking every opportunity to attack the
ballot initiative process, but the American people are fighting back.
When legislatures try to take power away from us, the American voters,
we are stopping them in their tracks. Look no further than Utah’s
Amendment D, where a last minute initiative attempted to give the
legislature power to edit or ignore amendments voted on by the
people.
These
types of initiatives are one of the purest ways Americans exercise
self-governance, and they are important to keeping our government
open, transparent, and honest. In this cycle, a number of initiatives
that would implement good government reforms such as ranked-choice
voting and open primaries were on the ballot.
- DC
passed an open primaries and ranked-choice voting
initiative
- Peoria,
IL, voted to implement a ranked-choice voting system
- Oak
Park, IL, did, as well
- Bloomington, MN, defended a challenge against their successful
use of ranked-choice voting
This year
was truly momentous for the Forward Party, and none of it could have
happened without the help of our state leads and volunteers across the
country. Tomorrow, I’ll be writing to look at this work and the
infrastructure we built out while supporting good people for
office.
Best,
Lindsey
Williams Drath
Forward
Party CEO
https://home.forwardparty.com/
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