John --

Last week, I attended the Reykjavík Global Forum in Iceland along with some of the world’s most forward-thinking women leaders. I returned energized by what real leadership can look like when built from collaboration, not rivalry. So, it struck me when former First Lady Michelle Obama publicly stated that America isn’t ready for a woman president and urged the audience “don’t waste my time” on speculation about her candidacy.

Her blunt critique of our inability to elect a woman president when so many other countries have or had women atop their government reflects something old and entrenched: the binary, gridlocked system that still keeps many women from running and many voters from having meaningful choices at the ballot box.

I was invited on MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) on Monday to discuss First Lady Obama’s remarks and discuss why the system still fails women and how Forward is charting a new path. Watch it here .

At the Forward Party, we believe the two-party duopoly is not just outdated, but that it actively restricts opportunity and limits ambition. We work hard every day to reverse that system that limits the ability of women to grow into leadership roles in this country. Our leadership team features many strong, experienced, and inspirational women and we actively recruit and empower women to run for office at every level across the country. It’s one reason we’re hosting our upcoming event: She Runs, We Win: A Roadmap for Forward Candidates on December 9, 2025 (RSVP here: link). It’s designed to amplify voices that the major parties ignore, to flip the script, and to give women the tools, the network, and the platform they deserve.

Also this week, one of our founders and inspirational woman leaders, Governor Christine Todd Whitman penned this piece on how this moment demands a reset and a forward thinking future. I invite you to read it here. 

All of these things got me wondering how you all feel about our country’s readiness to elect a woman president. I would love for you to weigh in:

Your voice matters. Because when women lead — without permission from the old parties — we all win.

Thank you, 

Lindsey Williams Drath, Forward Party CEO

Utah's Forward Party introduces five candidates, lays out voting plan to replace Sen. Thatcher | Utah News Dispatch

With Utah’s only third-party legislator looking to resign before the 2026 legislative session, the Forward Party of Utah has released its first-of-a-kind plan for a midterm approval vote open to all registered voters in the state’s Senate District 11, regardless of their affiliation.

A new political club is forming at Duke. Behind it is Andrew Yang | The Chronicle

Students at Duke recently formed a chapter of the Forward Party. Yang, now the party’s co-chair, visited Duke Law School Monday to meet with a group of those student leaders, as well as 10 North Carolina Forward Party representatives, to discuss the future of the party at the University, in North Carolina and across the country.

Third party governor candidate Newcome enters race with big personal money infusion | MPR News

Mike Newcome filed paperwork late last week to begin building his campaign as a Forward Independence Party candidate. 

Newcome, 56, of Lake Elmo, said he’s convinced that every 25 to 30 years there’s a bit of a “tectonic shift” when people start to want a bigger change than DFL and Republican nominees offer.

She Runs, We Win Event  

This virtual event, hosted by the Forward Party Women’s Committee, will feature several women who have been elected as Forwardists or Forward-aligned candidates to their respective offices. We will also be featuring a representative from a national, nonpartisan organization dedicated to supporting women in their pursuit of public office. This forum is designed to inspire and empower Forward Women to consider running for office. For more information and to register, click here. 

If you’re tired of waiting for the system to fix itself — this is your moment.
👥 Volunteer | 🗳️ Run for Office | 💸 Donate | 🌐 forwardparty.com

UW-Madison conference weighs fusion voting can make politics healthier | Wisconsin Examiner

Dozens of political scientists, election experts and members of the public gathered in a UW-Madison conference room Friday to debate whether returning to a 19th century election process could empower voters and help turn back the United States’ slide toward authoritarianism. 

The event centered around fusion voting, which is the practice of allowing more than one political party to nominate the same candidate on a ballot. Currently used in Connecticut and New York, the fusion voting system means the candidates on the left can appear on the ballot under both the Democratic Party and the smaller Working Families Party while candidates on the right appear for the Republican Party and the Conservative Party. 

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