Former Democratic President Andrew Yang’s party is set to include Donald Trump’s former staff, according to reports.
On Wednesday a number of former Republican and Democratic officials announced the formation of a new “Forward Party”.
Yang, who was also the Democratic candidate for mayor of New York City in 2021, announced that he was leaving the Democratic Party in October.
The founders of the Forward Party hope it will appeal to millions of voters across the U.S. who are unhappy with the two-party system and polarized politics, according to a Reuters report.
The party, which is centrist, has not yet defined its policies.
The two pillars of the new party are to “restore a fair, efficient economy” and “give Americans more choice in elections, more trust in effective government, and more say in our future,” the follow Reuters.
The party, which has attracted support from both sides of the political spectrum, will include people from the Renew America Movement, which was founded in 2021 by officials in the Republican administration of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Donald Trump.
One of the confirmed former members of the Trump administration to be part of the new party is Miles Taylor, a former Homeland Security official.
He said he was aware of the problems third parties faced in the past but explained how things are different now.
“The fundamentals have changed,” he said, according to Reuters. “When other third-party organizations emerged in the past it was within a system where the American people didn’t ask for an alternative.”
“The difference here is that we’re seeing a number in American history that says almost one.”
David Jolly, former Republican chairman of Florida and chair of the Serve America Movement, Christine Todd Whitman, former Republican governor of New Jersey and co-founder of the Renew America Movement and Andrew Yang explained why when they believe that their third party will not do so. failed in the Washington Post on Wednesday.
“Polarization is causing an influx of political threats. In the past two years, we have seen death threats and assassination plots against members of Congress, governors, Supreme Court justices and even the vice president of the United States. States” the article read.
“If nothing is done, the United States will not reach its 300th birthday this century in a meaningful way.”
It went on to say that this is the reason why the party was formed and made up of Democrats, Republicans and independents.
The article also cites data from a New York Times/Siena College poll that found only 13 percent of Americans believe the country is headed in the right direction.
The article closed by saying that Americans needed more choice in politics and it was even more important now in order to bring the people back to American society.
Newsweek has contacted Andrew Yang for comment.
