• Home
  • Independent Voter News
  • Quizzes
  • Election Dissection
  • Sections
  • Events
  • Directory
  • About Us
  • Glossary
  • Opinion
  • Campaign Finance
  • Redistricting
  • Civic Ed
  • Voting
  • Fact Check
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Subscriptions
  • Log in
Leveraging Our Differences
  • news & opinion
    • Big Picture
      • Civic Ed
      • Ethics
      • Leadership
      • Leveraging big ideas
      • Media
    • Business & Democracy
      • Corporate Responsibility
      • Impact Investment
      • Innovation & Incubation
      • Small Businesses
      • Stakeholder Capitalism
    • Elections
      • Campaign Finance
      • Independent Voter News
      • Redistricting
      • Voting
    • Government
      • Balance of Power
      • Budgeting
      • Congress
      • Judicial
      • Local
      • State
      • White House
    • Justice
      • Accountability
      • Anti-corruption
      • Budget equity
    • Columns
      • Beyond Right and Left
      • Civic Soul
      • Congress at a Crossroads
      • Cross-Partisan Visions
      • Democracy Pie
      • Our Freedom
  • Pop Culture
      • American Heroes
      • Ask Joe
      • Celebrity News
      • Comedy
      • Dance, Theatre & Film
      • Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
      • Faithful & Mindful Living
      • Music, Poetry & Arts
      • Sports
      • Technology
      • Your Take
      • American Heroes
      • Ask Joe
      • Celebrity News
      • Comedy
      • Dance, Theatre & Film
      • Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
      • Faithful & Mindful Living
      • Music, Poetry & Arts
      • Sports
      • Technology
      • Your Take
  • events
  • About
      • Mission
      • Advisory Board
      • Staff
      • Contact Us
Sign Up
  1. Home>
  2. Big Picture>
  3. independents>

What Andrew Yang's new party means for American politics

Sara Swann
https://twitter.com/saramswann?lang=en
September 13, 2021
Andrew Yang

Andrew Yang ran unsuccessful Democratic campaigns for president and mayor of New York.

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

The Republican and Democratic parties have dominated politics for decades, with alternative parties occasionally sprouting up but rarely having a significant impact on elections. Political reformers will be closely watching the latest attempt to break that two-party system.

Andrew Yang, who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for president and then the party's nod in the New York mayoral campaign, is planning to launch his own political party next month, Politico first reported. The name and platform of Yang's third party will be announced in conjunction with the Oct. 5 release of his new book, "Forward: Notes on the Future of Our Democracy."

Yang's decision to leave the Democratic Party parallels a growing national trend of more Americans identifying as independents. However, reformers say it will take both a structural and cultural shift to undo America's two-party duopoly.


It's unclear where exactly Yang's party will fall on the political spectrum, but the focus of his book offers a glimpse into his new venture. "Yang introduces us to the various 'priests of the decline' of America, including politicians whose incentives have become divorced from the people they supposedly serve," per the book's publisher, Crown.

As a former businessperson, Yang was seen as a political outsider during his campaigns. One of the key tenets of his platform was a universal basic income program, through which the government would give citizens $1,000 every month. His most ardent supporters, dubbed the "Yang Gang," were highly active online and tended to be more apolitical.

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

With more Americans becoming disillusioned by politics and the two major parties, there is a market for alternatives, said John Opdycke of Open Primaries. But the challenge for Yang will be how to organize a political party that appeals to people who don't like political parties, he said.

"Part of what Andrew, I think, is recognizing is that because people are dissatisfied with the Democrats and Republicans, there's an organizing opportunity there. But maybe a party is not going to capture their enthusiasm," Opdycke said. "People don't like political parties because parties tend to be ideological. 'Here's what our set of policies are and if you don't agree with them, you're not welcome here.'"

According to Gallup's latest polling on political identity, conducted Aug. 2-17, 40 percent of Americans consider themselves independents. (Both the Democratic and Republican parties drew less than 30 percent of support.)

Even if there is a lot of enthusiasm for Yang's new party, the current political system will make it difficult for him or other independent candidates to succeed. Advocates for change believe structural reforms like ranked-choice voting, open primaries and multimember districts would make the system more viable for third parties.

But simply changing the system won't be enough, reformers say. The two-party duopoly is so ingrained in American politics that there needs to be a cultural shift as well.

Some people see third-party candidates as "spoilers" that draw votes away from the politician they prefer, resulting in the opposing party winning.

"That kind of zero-sum mentality between the two parties is part of what keeps people locked into those parties and will always block third-party or independent candidates," said Mike Ongstad of Stand Up Republic. "The reality is that the hunger is there. But there's almost a fear-based system that causes people to fall back on their typical and long-standing historical party."

The increased number of state laws limiting voter access is also contributing to this issue and reinforcing the political establishment, Ongstad said. The Renew America Movement, a center-right campaign launched by Stand Up Republic, recently sent letters to all 50 governors urging them to reject partisan attacks on the right to vote.

The burden of facing these barriers in the voting process might discourage people, especially those who don't identify with a major party or feel disenchanted with politics, from even participating in the first place, Ongstad said.

"But we're always stronger if we're including those voices, and the more voices that are included, the more likely we are to get some more diverse voices," he said.

From Your Site Articles
  • Share of independent voters is forecast to increase steadily - The ... ›
  • What it would take for a third party to be viable - The Fulcrum ›
  • Yang's unusual proposal creates money in politics buzz at debate ... ›
  • Where the presidential candidates stand on the top issues of ... ›
  • Evan McMullin launches independent bid for Senate in Utah - The Fulcrum ›
  • Moving depolarization forward - The Fulcrum ›
  • Andrew Yang & toppling the two-party duopoly - The Fulcrum ›
  • Andrew Yang and Charlie Dent on the future of America's political parties - The Fulcrum ›
  • Center-right pushes back against election deniers - The Fulcrum ›
  • Americans want something better out of politics - The Fulcrum ›
  • Libertarians. A new understanding - The Fulcrum ›
  • Podcast: Broken news - The Fulcrum ›
  • Democrats are also funding election deniers in 2022 - The Fulcrum ›
Related Articles Around the Web
  • Andrew Yang Floats Starting Third Party Ahead of Book Release ›
  • Andrew Yang no longer a Democrat, will launch third party | Fox News ›
  • Andrew Yang to launch a third party - POLITICO ›
independents

Want to write
for The Fulcrum?

If you have something to say about ways to protect or repair our American democracy, we want to hear from you.

Submit
Get some Leverage Sign up for The Fulcrum Newsletter
Follow
Contributors

Freedom is just another word

David L. Nevins

Harnessing the power of 'we the people' on Independence Day

Jenna Spinelle

Young people, patriotism and the Fourth of July

Layla Zaidane

Landing on the moon was a hard thing. So is preserving democracy.

Kahlil Byrd

Texas leads the way

Lawrence Goldstone

Why the Founders would be aghast at the Supreme Court’s abortion ruling

Beau Breslin
latest News

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s swearing in makes history during unprecedented time for the Supreme Court

Candice Norwood, The 19th
01 July

A Jalapeño a Day: What America Can Learn From Bridging in the Hispanic Community

Our Staff
01 July

Your take: 'I stand for ...'

Jeremy Garson
01 July

The Civic Season soundtrack

David L. Nevins
01 July

Bringing history’s posters to today’s civic action efforts: A Q&A with Globe Press

Cameron Katz
30 June

Podcast: Past, present, future

Our Staff
30 June
Videos

Video: Memorial Day 2022

Our Staff

Video: Helping loved ones divided by politics

Our Staff

Video: What happened in Virginia?

Our Staff

Video: Infrastructure past, present, and future

Our Staff

Video: Beyond the headlines SCOTUS 2021 - 2022

Our Staff

Video: Should we even have a debt limit

Our Staff
Podcasts

Podcast: Did economists move the Democrats to the right?

Our Staff
02 May

Podcast: The future of depolarization

Our Staff
11 February

Podcast: Sore losers are bad for democracy

Our Staff
20 January

Deconstructed Podcast from IVN

Our Staff
08 November 2021
Recommended
Freedom is just another word

Freedom is just another word

Music, Poetry & Arts
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson being sworn in

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s swearing in makes history during unprecedented time for the Supreme Court

Judicial
A Jalapeño a Day: What America Can Learn From Bridging in the Hispanic Community

A Jalapeño a Day: What America Can Learn From Bridging in the Hispanic Community

Leadership
sample posters

Your take: 'I stand for ...'

Your Take
People at a concert

The Civic Season soundtrack

Music, Poetry & Arts
Flags in front of the Capitol

Harnessing the power of 'we the people' on Independence Day

State