‘Not Left. Not Right. Forward:’ Bipartisan group forms third US political party

Dozens of former Republican and Democratic officials announced on Wednesday a new national political third party to appeal to millions of voters who are faced with what they call a dysfunctional two-party system.

The new Forward party will initially be co-chained by former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang and Christine Todd Whitman, the former Republican governor of New Jersey.

They hope the party will become a viable alternative to the Republican and Democratic parties that dominate US politics, founding members told Reuters.

Party leaders will host an official launch in Texas on September 24 and the party’s first national convention in a major US city next year.

Forward is the result of a merger of three political groups that emerged in recent years as a reaction to America's increasingly polarized and gridlocked political system.

The leaders cited a Gallup poll last year showing a record two-thirds of Americans believe a third party is needed.

Two pillars of the new party’s platform are to “reinvigorate a fair, flourishing economy” and “give Americans more choices in elections, more confidence in a government that works, and more say in our future.”

The centrist party has no specific policies yet, but it will say at its Thursday launch: “How will we solve the big issues facing America? Not Left. Not Right. Forward.”

Historically, third parties failed to thrive in America’s two-party system, but occasionally they can impact a presidential election.

Political analysts are skeptical it can succeed, and many Democrats expressed fear that the new party will siphon more votes away from the left-leaning party.