Wednesday, dozens of former Republican and Democratic officials established a new national political third party to appeal to millions of voters dissatisfied with the dysfunctional two-party system in the United States.

Forward, a new political party whose formation was originally announced by Reuters will initially be co-chaired by former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang and former New Jersey Republican governor Christine Todd Whitman. The founding members told Reuters that they hope the party will become a credible alternative to the Republican and Democratic parties that dominate U.S. politics.

Party officials will organize a series of events in twenty cities this autumn to introduce their plan and garner support. They will conduct an official launch on September 24 in Houston and the party's first national convention in a major U.S. city next summer.

As a reaction to America's increasingly polarized and gridlocked political system, the new party is being formed by merging three political groupings that arose in recent years. The leaders referenced a Gallup poll from the previous year indicating that a record-breaking two-thirds of Americans felt a third party was necessary.

The merger involves the Renew America Movement, founded in 2021 by dozens of former Republican administration officials from the administrations of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump; the Forward Party, founded by Yang, who left the Democratic Party in 2021 and became an independent; and the Serve America Movement, a coalition of Democrats, Republicans, and independents led by former Republican congressman David Jolly.

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

The centrist party currently has no clear policies. Its Thursday's introduction will state: "How will we fix America's major problems? Not Left. Not Correct Forward."

Third parties have consistently failed to prosper in America's two-party system, and they can occasionally influence presidential elections. According to analysts, Green Party nominee Ralph Nader siphoned off enough votes from Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore in 2000 to aid the victory of Republican George W. Bush.

In such a polarized nation, it is uncertain how the new Forward party might affect the electoral prospects of either major party. Political observers are skeptical about its viability.

The response on Twitter was quick. Numerous Democrats on the social media platform voiced concern that the new party would steal more votes from Democrats than Republicans, aiding Republicans in close elections.

Forward intends to get party registration and ballot access in 30 states by the end of 2023 and in all 50 states by 2024, in time for the 2024 presidential and congressional elections. It aspires to field candidates for local races, such as school boards and city councils, state legislatures, the United States Congress, and even the presidency.

'The fundamentals have changed'

Yang stated in an interview that the initial budget for the party would be approximately $5 million. It has funders lined up and a grassroots membership of hundreds of thousands between the three amalgamated groups.

"We are in a very solid financial position to begin. Financial assistance will not be an issue "Yang added.

Miles Taylor, a former Homeland Security officer in the Trump administration and participant in the formation of forwarding, stated that the goal was to provide voters with "a viable, credible national third party."

Taylor admitted that third parties have previously failed, but he stated: "The foundations have shifted. When such third party movements have formed in the past, it has typically been within a system in which the American people do not demand an alternative. We are witnessing a record number of Americans expressing their desire for one."

A seasoned nonpartisan political analyst, Stu Rothenberg, stated that it was simple to discuss forming a third party but nearly impossible to accomplish.

"The two major political parties start out with huge advantages, including 50 state parties built over decades," he said.

Rothenberg said that third-party presidential candidates such as John Anderson in 1980 and Ross Perot in 1992 and 1996 failed to develop a legitimate third party that became a factor in national politics and therefore failed to establish a responsible third party.