The former tech entrepreneur wants to represent a new political center with his party.
(Photo: AP)
new York Political outsider Andrew Yang is attempting a big hit with a new party. “Forward” is a union of former Democrats and Republicans and is intended to represent a new political center. Yang, as chairman, wants to create a serious alternative to the two major parties.
When the former tech entrepreneur ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2019, his chances were slim. But that didn’t stop the New Yorker from campaigning seriously. Yang propagated universal basic income, a radical left-wing idea in the United States.
But when he ran for mayor in his liberal New York home, Yang had trouble winning voters. A mixture of wrong topic setting, a disturbed sense of citizen concerns and contradictory statements caused Yang to slip from first place to fourth place.
But his political career with the bankruptcy in New York does not seem to have been told. His role as a recalcitrant character in the mainstream political arena was becoming increasingly apparent. So clearly that he left the Democratic Party in 2021. Together with two organizations – the “Serve America Movement” and the “Renew America Movement” – “Forward” consists of a coalition of Republican and Democratic politicians from different spectrums of their parties.
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One could also speak of a “wild mix”: Behind Yang at the top are former civil servants of ex-President Donald Trump and also independent candidates who have left the Republican Grand Old Party. Their goal is to revive a “fair and prosperous economy” and give Americans “more options in elections, more confidence in a government that works.”
Majority wants a third party
In this way, Forward could actually meet the zeitgeist: surveys by the opinion research institute Gallup see an increasing desire for a third party in the United States. At the time of the last survey in September 2021, only 35 percent of respondents said the government was doing an adequate job. 60 percent said a third party was necessary. This is a sharp increase from 2004, when only 40 percent of respondents wanted a third party.
Lydia Saad, Gallup director of US social research, warns that wanting a third party doesn’t automatically mean that voters will also vote for that party. In the past, independent candidates were only able to assert themselves in exceptional cases. However, the success of a third party is not impossible, according to Saad. Four key factors are decisive for a successful campaign: a charismatic personality at the top, a strong message, financial resources and a good connection to the media.
According to these criteria, Andrew Yang and Forward are at least not without a chance. Even if with moderate success, Yang was already a dazzling personality in 2019, who clearly stood out from the political mainstream and thus picked up many dissatisfied voters from the established parties.
In a guest article for the Washington Post, the Forward founders explain their message and content in more detail. People don’t feel heard, failing democracy and unrest are the result, write Yang and co-founder Christine Todd Whitman. Forward hopes to revitalize the hollowed-out political center with legislative initiatives that aim to represent a compromise between the right and left camps. The authors cite examples of a legislative middle ground when it comes to gun laws, abortion or climate change.
The two authors also declare that they intend to actively seek the support of prominent governors, representatives and company founders in the coming weeks. They certainly bring influence and experience with the media – and of course their money too. According to Forward Yang, it is already the third-largest party in the United States in terms of resources.
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