UPDATE: This piece has been updated to include comments from the Forward party.

• Democratic leaders and progressive influencers say Andrew Yang is a “GOP-funded Trojan Horse” who “has made his bed with the fascists” for creating a new third party that seeks to establish a common ground between the right and the left.
• Yang, former Republican New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman and former Republican Congressman David Jolly announced their creation of the “new Forward party,”which merges three separate movements claiming to unite Americans from all ends of the political spectrum.
• “Forward’s platform is simple: What policies can foster free people, thriving communities, and vibrant democracy,” a Forward Party spokeswoman told the Daily Caller News Foundation. 

Multiple Democratic leaders openly expressed outrage over Andrew Yang starting a non-partisan political party, fearing that it will only boost Republicans in future elections.

Democratic leaders and progressive influencers are calling Andrew Yang a “GOP-funded Trojan horse,” among other insults, and accusing him of threatening democracy by announcing a new third party that claims to seek common ground between the right and the left. Some critics suggested it will only undermine the Democratic party, including one leader at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) who criticized the GOP, calling it a “terrorist organization” on Twitter.

Yang co-published an op-ed with former Republican New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman and former Republican Congressman David Jolly on Wednesday, announcing their creation of the “new Forward party.” This merges three separate movements run by the three founders, all claiming to unite Americans from all ends of the political spectrum.

“Forward’s platform is simple: What policies can foster free people, thriving communities, and vibrant democracy,” a Forward Party spokeswoman told the Daily Caller News Foundation. Still, some Democrats are not convinced by the message. (RELATED: Andrew Yang Says Democrats Only Have Themselves To Blame For Supreme Court Overturning Roe V. Wade)

The op-ed stated that the party invites Americans “of all stripes — Democrats, Republicans and independents” — to be “a part of the process, without abandoning their existing political affiliations, by joining us to discuss building an optimistic and inclusive home for the politically homeless majority.” Two-thirds of American voters believe neither Republican nor Democratic congressional candidates “have the right priorities,” according to a CNN survey

“I’m a ride-or-die Democrat. Because you’re either with the Democrats, or you’re with the Fascists,” tweeted progressive activist Dash Dobrofsky, over a video rant about the new party. “Yang has made his bed with the Fascists,” he continued.

I’m sick of Andrew Yang. I’m sick of the Forward Party. I’m sick of Third Party closet-Republican grifters like Jill Stein & Tulsi Gabbard. I’m a ride-or-die Democrat. Because you’re either with the Democrats, or you’re with the Fascists. Yang has made his bed with the Fascists. pic.twitter.com/n3WiUKVgt2

— Dash Dobrofsky (@DashDobrofsky) July 31, 2022

“We only have 1 political party: Dems,” added DNC Women’s Co-chair Lindy Li, who also serves as both the chairs of the Mid-Atlantic Region and Ethnic Council. “GOP is a terrorist org. Either help us defeat them or get the F outta the way,” she added.

Democratic Strategist James Carville called the new party a “really stupid idea,” in an interview with CNN’s Jim Acosta.

“The only possible thing this could do is bleed some moderate Republicans off of whoever the Democratic nominee is,” he said.

“Andrew Yang is a GOP funded horse,” tweeted progressive body language expert Jack Brown. He previously joined Anderson Cooper in a CNN segment in 2016, casting suspicion over former President Trump’s sniffling during the presidential debates.

Democratic Super PAC leader Rachel Bitecofer called Yang’s initiative a “democracy-risking vanity project.”

“Many of us are devoting our lives to beating back an insurgent American fascist movement & Yang insists on launching a vanity project that equates pronouns with actual nazis & helps them seize power,” she tweeted.

Bitecofer had previously appeared to pitch herself to Yang for a job on his New York mayoral campaign in 2021.

“We are unabashedly pro-democracy – it’s one of our core tenets, building a vibrant democracy. That means not only rejecting anti-democracy extremism in all its forms, but also passing laws and reforms that innovate and strengthen our elections, like Ranked Choice Voting and non-partisan primary systems,” Forward party spokewsoman Mary Anna Mancuso told the DCNF. “We believe that creating more choice in our politics isn’t just a good idea, it’s necessary for the health and preservation of our democracy.”

The Guardian published an op-ed also criticizing Yang’s new party.

“The Democratic party is the only one of the two major parties committed to basic democratic and liberal norms. The problem that ails America is that Republicans are not,” wrote the author, Andrew Gawthorpe, a lecturer at Leiden University in the Netherlands.

Neither Democratic National Committee nor The Republican National Committee immediately responded to the DCNF’s request for comment.

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