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John --
We have
some very exciting news out of Utah today! Senator Daniel Thatcher has
changed his affiliation to the Forward Party. He is now the first
sitting state Senator to bear that affiliation.
See what
the Utah team had to say about the announcement here and below, and read about the Senator and
this switch in the Salt Lake Tribune here.
The Forward Party
today is proud to accept Senator Daniel Thatcher (SD 11: Salt Lake,
Tooele, Utah Counties) as its first elected member of the Utah State
Senate. On the last day of the legislative session, the Senator left
the GOP to join the Forward Party, citing the Party’s principles of
transparent, effective governance, and their value of treating
everyone with dignity and respect.
Andrew Yang, former
Presidential candidate and Forward’s Founding Co-Chair, said, “Today
more than ever, our elected officials are followers. It takes courage
to step forward and truly lead. Senator Thatcher continues to
demonstrate his morals through the leadership he’s showing today, and
we couldn’t be more proud that he’s joining Forward.”
In front of a crowd
of press and supporters, Sen. Thatcher delivered a speech expressing
his disappointment with Utah’s GOP leadership, particularly in regards
to their continued efforts to stymy Utahns’ right to democratic
participation, citing examples such as the recent passage of HB 300
making the vote-by-mail process more onerous, and last year’s battle
over Amendment D and the legislature’s efforts to control the results
of citizen-led ballot initiatives.
He encouraged other
citizens who are more aligned with the Forward Party’s principles to
join him in switching their registration by visiting https://vote.utah.gov/.
In particular, the
Forward Party’s values of respect for the rule of law and the
Constitution; restoring power to the voters; driving on effective
solutions; and individual liberty, personal responsibility, and civic
engagement resonated with the Senator as he made his decision to
switch his affiliation.
The Forward Party is
incredibly proud to accept Sen. Thatcher into our ranks. He has served
his district honorably since 2011 as a champion to the downtrodden and
forgotten. Among his many accomplishments during this time include
spearheading the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
In a fraught time
when so many Americans feel the legacy parties no longer represent
them, the Forward Party welcomes all to join our movement. The Forward
Party is a 50-state movement that seeks pragmatic, data driven, and
collaborative solutions without regard to ideology, while affirming a
commitment to democracy, the Constitution, and rule of law.
Lt. Gov Kerry Healey,
Forward’s Executive Chair who served as Mitt Romney’s Lieutenant
Governor in Massachusetts, said, “I was in Utah several years ago as
our state leadership team delivered their petitions to the state house
to become a recognized party, and I’m here in spirit today as Senator
Thatcher joins the Party. We are excited for such a principled leader
to join our ranks. Senator Thatcher’s focus on serving his
constituents in a transparent and accountable manner embodies
Forward’s approach to governance. We expect our elected officials to
stand up for what is right, what they believe, and what their
constituents want, and we will support Senator Thatcher as he
continues to do so. And we welcome any other leaders to join Senator
Thatcher who want to be a part of a Party that won’t require them to
compromise their morals to toe the party line.
Forward Party
https://home.forwardparty.com/
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