There is no one national-level Progressive Party in the United States. The only two states with Progressive Parties that are authorized to place candidates on ballots are in Oregon and Vermont.
In the United States, political parties are creatures of state law. The national parties (Democratic, Republican, Green, Libertarian) are associations of state-level parties.
There are some attempts to create a national-level association of progressive parties. The Oregon Progressive Party is not affiliated with any of them. No doubt they do excellent and valuable work, but we prefer to maintain our independence when it comes to addressing issues and nominating or endorsing candidates, including candidates for President of the United States. These entities are not actually "parties," as they do not have ballot access in any state.
Some of the national-level attempts are:
Justice Party: led by Rocky Anderson, former mayor of Salt Lake City and former 2012 candidate for President (and our nominee that year)
Progressive Party USA: to "continue the Bernie Sanders legacy"
Progressive Bullmoose Party: not tied to any well-known politician ("Let the People Rule").
Alliance Party: formed in 2018 by the Independence Party of Minnesota and the American Party of South Carolina. Later joiners were the Independent Party of Connecticut and the Independence Party of New York. Its platform is more progressive than that of the Democratic Party.
Forward Party (led by Andrew Yang after his 2020 run for President as a Democrat):
The Forward Party's endorsement of a right-wing anti-environmentalist shows its basic lack of knowledge about Oregon or its lack of progressive intellect.
In July 2022, another attempt at an alternative national party, the Serve America Movement (SAM) merged into the Forward Party. The merged parties are co-chaired by Andrew Yang and Christy Todd Whitman, the former Republican governor of New Jersey and EPA Administrator in the George W. Bush administration who managed its horrendous environmental record.
SAM had sought to organize a national centrist party with a platform limited to advocacy of problem solving, transparency, accountability, and limited electoral reform (not including campaign finance limits). It took no positions on social, economic, or foreign policy issues, so it is hard to call it "centrist." Perhaps a better label would be "process-oriented." It was headed by David Jolly, former U.S. Representative from a Florida district and later a frequent pundit on CNN and MSNBC.
Also joining the new merger is the Renew America Movement, which did not purport to be a political party. It is described by the Niskanen Center as a "center right" political entity headed by Miles Taylor (formerly Trump's chief of staff in the Department of Homeland Security). Having merged with a "centrist" entity and a center right entity, it seems safe to say that the Forward Party is not a progressive one.
In the United States, political parties are creatures of state law. The national parties (Democratic, Republican, Green, Libertarian) are associations of state-level parties.
There are some attempts to create a national-level association of progressive parties. The Oregon Progressive Party is not affiliated with any of them. No doubt they do excellent and valuable work, but we prefer to maintain our independence when it comes to addressing issues and nominating or endorsing candidates, including candidates for President of the United States. These entities are not actually "parties," as they do not have ballot access in any state.
Some of the national-level attempts are:
Justice Party: led by Rocky Anderson, former mayor of Salt Lake City and former 2012 candidate for President (and our nominee that year)
Progressive Party USA: to "continue the Bernie Sanders legacy"
Progressive Bullmoose Party: not tied to any well-known politician ("Let the People Rule").
Alliance Party: formed in 2018 by the Independence Party of Minnesota and the American Party of South Carolina. Later joiners were the Independent Party of Connecticut and the Independence Party of New York. Its platform is more progressive than that of the Democratic Party.
Forward Party (led by Andrew Yang after his 2020 run for President as a Democrat):
- A central plank of the Forward Party's platform is support for "Open Primaries." We think that is a very bad idea, for reasons stated at Save Oregon's Democracy.
- In June 2022, the Forward Party endorsed Betsy Johnson for Governor of Oregon. As a state senator, she opposed every significant piece of climate legislation since 2001. Her campaigns are funded mainly by the timber and fossil fuel corporations, including Koch Industries. She has a 100% rating from the NRA and has received awards for opposing gun safety legislation. On gun control she has voted:
- NO to prohibit weapons on school grounds
- NO to require background checks for firearm sales
- NO to allow courts to prohibit suicidal individuals from owning guns
- NO to prohibit convicted stalkers from possessing firearms
- NO to authorize schools to prohibit guns on campuses
The Forward Party's endorsement of a right-wing anti-environmentalist shows its basic lack of knowledge about Oregon or its lack of progressive intellect.
In July 2022, another attempt at an alternative national party, the Serve America Movement (SAM) merged into the Forward Party. The merged parties are co-chaired by Andrew Yang and Christy Todd Whitman, the former Republican governor of New Jersey and EPA Administrator in the George W. Bush administration who managed its horrendous environmental record.
SAM had sought to organize a national centrist party with a platform limited to advocacy of problem solving, transparency, accountability, and limited electoral reform (not including campaign finance limits). It took no positions on social, economic, or foreign policy issues, so it is hard to call it "centrist." Perhaps a better label would be "process-oriented." It was headed by David Jolly, former U.S. Representative from a Florida district and later a frequent pundit on CNN and MSNBC.
Also joining the new merger is the Renew America Movement, which did not purport to be a political party. It is described by the Niskanen Center as a "center right" political entity headed by Miles Taylor (formerly Trump's chief of staff in the Department of Homeland Security). Having merged with a "centrist" entity and a center right entity, it seems safe to say that the Forward Party is not a progressive one.