“Without this, the United States wouldn’t live to see its 300th anniversary.” The Americans were offered another “third” party

A new political party is being formed in the United States, which, according to the creators, should be the third power in the country, along with the Republicans and Democrats. This is reported by Reuters.

Former members of the Republican and Democratic parties decided to call their association Forward – “Forward”. Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang and former New Jersey Governor Christina Todd Whitman will serve as presidents.

Most of the “third” parties have failed. That’s why ours won’t be like this,” the caption reads. article Written by Young and Whitman in the Washington Post.

For them, America was torn apart by political extremism, and the two key parties – the Republicans and the Democrats – could not find a way out of the crisis. “If nothing is done, the US will not see its 300th birthday. That’s why we’re coming together – to put the fragmentation aside and build a new, unifying party for the majority of Americans who want to reject extremism,” the article says.

The authors of the article also point out that Forward has a greater chance of success in the United States than previous “third” parties who were unable to achieve outstanding results “due to the ideological narrowness or apathy of the population.”

“However, voters are now more interested than ever in a third power,” the article says.

In addition, Young, Whitman and their supporters want to “breathe new life into a fair, prosperous economy” and “give Americans more choice in voting and more confidence in a functioning government.”

Forward plans to run alongside Democrats and Republicans in elections in all 50 states in 2024. The initial budget of the party is $5 million.

Reuters states that political experts are skeptical about the party’s future.

The two-party system in the United States developed in the mid-19th century. The remaining parties do not play a significant role in American politics, of which about 80 are registered – half at the national level, half at the regional level.

Now the most authoritative “third” forces are considered three: Constitutional, Green Party and Libertarian.

The Libertarians, now considered the strongest alternative to “elephants” and “donkeys,” formed their party in 1971. They represent the free market economy, the rights and freedoms of citizens, free international trade, peace and non-interference in the affairs of other countries. A total of 143 libertarians currently hold elected office in the United States, mostly at the local level.

In 1968, the “third” American Independent Party and its US presidential candidate, George Wallace, had significant success in the presidential election. Defeating Republican Richard Nixon and Democrat Hubert Humphrey, the far-right and pro-racist Wallace won 13.5% of the vote, mostly in the “Deep South” of the United States.

There is another example of the involvement of a “third” party in major American politics. In 1912, former US President Theodore Roosevelt, one of the most popular leaders in the country’s history, was nominated as the Progressive Party’s presidential candidate. In the election that year, he finished second, by 88 votes to eight, ahead of then-republican President William Taft. But Democrat Woodrow Wilson won 435 electoral votes. As a result, the Progressives soon lost their influence and dispersed.

The main reason for not allowing “third” parties to compete with Republicans and Democrats is financial insufficiency. At the same time, candidates from independent political forces can periodically influence the course of elections by obtaining votes from certain opponents with a similar political program. This happened, for example, in 1992 when Democrat Bill Clinton defeated George W. Bush because Texas businessman Ross Perot got some of his votes.