In Cheney’s concession speech, she said she would “do whatever it takes” to prevent former President Trump from returning to the Oval Office. If she runs, it will be as a Republican and not because there is a path to victory in the Republican primary. It will be because she sees a way to take Trump down with her by constantly reminding Republican voters of his dereliction of duty as president. Her presence on the debate stage and on the ballot will give other candidates space to criticize the former president, and she will force them to reckon with the consequences of the Jan. 6 insurrection attempt. Until electoral reforms make viable a third-party candidate, that is a commendable goal and more than enough.
We should expect the same from the Forward Party. In a recent interview with CNN’s Jim Acosta, Andrew Yang said that he didn’t want to increase Trump’s chance of re-election. Yet, in the next answer, he said that he hadn’t made any decisions about 2024 and that the country needs a “unifying positive third-party movement.” If he truly cares about keeping Trump from the Oval Office, he wouldn’t consider a Forward Party presidential run right now.
In the same interview, Yang said the Forward Party doesn’t have “left or right [policies], but a forward stance on even the most divisive and contentious issues.” Until the party can offer a concrete explanation of their policy proposals or how they would overcome the electoral college hurdles, they would better serve the country by following Cheney’s lead.
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