Shawn Griffiths
CORRALES, N.M. - A new party launched Tuesday in New Mexico following the passage of open primaries legislation in the state. The Forward Party, which advocates for election reforms like open primaries, is seeking 3,500 signatures to gain minor party status.
READ MORE: New Mexico Has Opened Its Primaries to Independent Voters
The New Mexico chapter of the Forward Party officially launched at an event in Corrales. It is chaired by Bob Perls, a former state representative and founder of New Mexico Open Elections, which worked since 2015 to give independent voters access to taxpayer-funded primary elections.
The group's commitment paid off in the 2025 legislative session with SB 16, a semi-open primary bill that requires registered party members to vote in their respective party's primary but allows more than 330,000 independent voters to pick a major party ballot on primary election day.
Perls explained at the Corrales event that the Forward Party will focus on these types of improvements to the democratic process, which also includes ending partisan gerrymandering, campaign finance reform, and voting methods that will empower voters in competitive districts.
“If you look at what is the root cause of hyper-partisanship and political polarization in this country, you can trace a lot of it to how we elect, district and finance candidates,” Perls said.
The party's goal is to obtain enough signatures to recruit and endorse candidates in the 2026 election cycle. Perls said that on top of expanding the number of candidates on the ballot, the party will also target Republicans and Democrats who voted to keep a closed primary system
The Forward Party was founded in 2022 by former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, former Republican New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman, and Michael Willner -- a former Libertarian. It is a recognized party in 5 states and has 47 elected officials.
The party wants to be a major party nationally by the 2028 presidential election.