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Politico
08-07-2025
- Business
- Politico
The problem with Elon Musk's techie dream of rebooting politics
His America Party announcement touched on traditional populist-conservative themes. 'When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,' he wrote in a Saturday X post. 'Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.' Musk has suggested that he will focus on tight congressional races. He has reportedly spoken to Andrew Yang, the tech commentator and entrepreneur who launched the centrist Forward Party in 2022. It's not clear what lessons he'll learn from Yang, whose party has yet to make an impact on any big races so far. During his run for president, Yang pitched universal basic income to address AI displacing workers. His Forward Party also has techie leanings — proposing data-driven policymaking and incubating innovative businesses — along with broader support for enforcing the democratic process and rule of law. Some alternative parties have been even more tech-driven. In 2006, programmers in Sweden founded the Pirate Party out of frustration around restrictions on online file sharing. That same year, American tech activists established their own branch, specifically to push back against the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and promote data privacy. Though it has never become a political force, the Pirates enjoyed some successes in Iceland and Germany. (In 2022, the U.S. party ran one of its members for the House representing Kentucky, but Ethan Osborne won only 3.9 percent of the vote.) The Transhumanist Party has also struggled to get tech-focused candidates into office. Zoltan Istvan, a futurist who founded the party in 2014, mounted two unsuccessful bids for president, and another for California governor. Istvan is running again for governor, but this time as a Democrat. 'If you don't run for one of the two parties, you just simply don't break in, and so you have to be realistic,' he told POLITICO. Quite a bit less fringey was the political group Win the Future (WTF), launched by established players in Silicon Valley to challenge the two-party system after Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton. In 2017, LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman and Mark Pincus, founder of the mobile gaming company Zynga, launched the group and tried to convince singer Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind to be WTF's challenger against then-California Sen. Dianne Feinstein. The plans never came to fruition. (Hoffman declined to comment; the website for Win the Future is defunct.) Arguably the lineage of know-it-all tech entrepreneurs trying to disrupt politics starts with Ross Perot, the swaggering Texas IT entrepreneur who founded the Reform Party in 1996. He twice ran for president in the 1990s on a populist, tech-savvy platform that included measures to facilitate democratic participation via the then-nascent internet. At some level, all these projects crashed against the same obstacles that have sunk most third parties trying to crack the U.S.'s political duopoly. Political novices have to build coalitions from scratch and quickly figure out the patchwork of state election laws to make any kind of national impression.
Time Magazine
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Time Magazine
Meet Andrew Yang, Who Is Keen to Help Musk's America Party
The seemingly impossible task of forming a viable third political party to rival the two-party system in the U.S. is once again being widely discussed. And Andrew Yang knows the struggle all too well. The former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate launched the Forward Party in 2022, expressing a keenness to create a space for the 'common-sense majority.' 'The United States badly needs a new political party—one that reflects the moderate, common-sense majority. Today's outdated parties have failed by catering to the fringes. As a result, most Americans feel they aren't represented,' Yang said alongside other Forward Party members in an op-ed for the Washington Post in 2022. "A new party must stake out the space in between. On every issue facing this nation—from the controversial to the mundane—we can find a reasonable approach most Americans agree on." But it's not the Forward Party that is dominating conversation in and outside of Washington, D.C., at the moment. Instead, it's Elon Musk's America party, of which he announced the formation of on July 5. In a post shared on his social media platform, X, Musk told his more than 220 million following: 'The America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.' Musk has yet to disclose any specific proposed policies or state what the core tenets of his party would be, but he has expressed an eagerness to continue the mission he worked on as lead of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) by prioritizing cutting, what he perceives to be, wasteful spending within the government and reducing the country's deficit. In his continued opposition against President Donald Trump's Big, Beautiful Bill, which was signed on July 4, Musk has also seemingly committed to campaigning against any Republicans who showed support and voted for said bill. As for how he plans to gain 'independence from the two-party system,' Musk has expressed an intention to maintain a 'laser-focus on just two or three Senate seats and eight to 10 House districts' for his party. Critics, led by Trump himself—Musk's one-time ally—have been quick to point out that third parties have historically struggled to compete with the two-party system. Trump referred to Musk's aspirations as 'ridiculous' and said the 'one thing third parties are good for is the creation of complete and total disruption and chaos.' But not everybody has been so bleak in their responses. Yang has proven to be a vocal supporter of Musk's move to establish a third party within the U.S. political spectrum, and is seemingly keen to help Musk succeed where he may have struggled. Here's what to know about the political party founder: Yang's stint as a Democratic presidential candidate in 2020 Born and raised in New York to Taiwanese parents, Yang, 50, spent the early part of his career as a businessman and entrepreneur. He studied political science and economics at Brown University, followed by a law degree at Columbia. After working in business enterprise, Yang was named a Champion of Change by former President Barack Obama in 2012 for a fellowship program that sent top college graduates to work at start-up companies in economically-challenged cities across the U.S. After filing the necessary paperwork to run as a Democratic candidate for President in November 2017, Yang began to share his ambitions, with his platform largely focused on protecting jobs from the rapidly-growing robotics and technology industry. His campaign slogan 'Humanity First' demonstrated just that. 'I'm running for President to wake up America to the fact that it's not immigrants or globalization, but this technology that is transforming our way of life,' Yang told Quartz during his campaign. Yang was also a strong advocate for universal basic income. The entrepreneur said that he would provide $1,000 monthly to Americans aged 18 to 64. 'This would improve Americans' nutrition and health, mental health, relationships, and stress levels. It would create millions of jobs around the country. It would be a catalyst for entrepreneurship and creativity,' he argued. Despite his ambition, Yang called an end to his campaign after defeat in the New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary, in which Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont emerged victorious. Yang finished 8th in terms of voter share, gaining just 2.8% of the count. 'Endings are hard and I've always had the intention to stay in this race… I am the math guy, and it's clear from the numbers we're not going to win this campaign,' he told his supporters in February 2020 as the results came through. The formation of the Forward Party In July 2022, Yang joined forces with former Republican Governor for New Jersey Christine Todd Whitman to establish the Forward Party as a third political party. Forward was officially formed as a political action committee (PAC) in 2021 and the party was announced in Yang's book, Forward: Notes on the Future of Our Democracy. The party launched with a clear message: "How will we solve the big issues facing America? Not Left. Not Right. Forward." The party claims that 60% of American voters want a new political party, and puts itself forward as a possible solution. Amongst the centrist party's key values are respecting the rule of law, building 'from the bottom up,' and protecting individual liberties. Another push from the Forward Party includes voting reform and promoting alternatives to the current voter system in place for most federal and state elections. The Forward Party has advocated for methods such as ranked choice voting, which it argues 'improves fairness in elections by allowing voters to rank candidates in order of preference, rather than just cast a single vote.' This method was recently used to elect Zohran Mamdani as the Democratic candidate for the New York Mayoral election. Despite its ambition, the Forward Party has seemingly struggled to gain a strong momentum or presence in U.S. politics. Utah state Senator Daniel Thatcher is the only elected official in the U.S. to represent the party after switching from the Republican Party in March. But the Forward Party has remained adamant in its messaging that it wants to change the traditional political structure in the U.S. With Musk's recent announcement of his own venture, Yang's party has been a vocal advocate. 'We welcome the growing realization that the two-party system isn't working and that the majority of Americans want more choices and more accountability… We encourage all new, Independent movements to prioritize healthy reform and real solutions above all else. Not Left. Not Right. Forward,' the party said on Monday. What has Yang said about Musk and his America Party ambitions? Since Musk initially floated the idea of forming a new political party, Yang has been vocal in his support for Musk's challenge to the two-party system. In June, Yang expressed an eagerness to join forces with Musk in some capacity. 'Elon has built world-class companies from nothing more than an idea multiple times, and in this instance, you have the vast majority of Americans who are hungry for a new approach,' Yang said in an interview with Politico. 'I'm happy to spell it out for Elon, or anyone else who wants to head down this road. A third party can succeed very quickly.' On July 6, after Musk renewed his intention to form the America Party, Yang said: 'Anyone who wants to bust up the duopoly has the right idea.' Yang has since confirmed that he has been in touch with Musk and his team regarding the new rival party. 'I'm excited for anyone who wants to move on from the duopoly… And I'm happy to help give someone a sense of what the path looks like,' he told Politico on Monday. On the same day, Yang doubled down on his stance, posting again on social media: 'If it breaks the duopoly, I'm all for it.' TIME has reached out to Yang and Musk for comment and further information regarding them connecting over the America Party. It's not out of the question that if support from Yang continues, a potential collaboration could begin, or perhaps even a merger. Forward has done this before. As part of its founding as a party in 2022, the Forward PAC merged with the Renew America Movement, made up of former Republican officials, and the Serve America Movement, a group of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. The groups merged to create the official Forward Party in its current form.
The Hill
08-07-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Yang says he's been ‘in touch' with Musk on America Party
Andrew Yang, a former Democratic presidential candidate and cofounder of the independent Forward Party, recently said he's been in touch with Elon Musk about the tech billionaire's formation of his own third party, the America Party. 'I'm excited for anyone who wants to move on from the duopoly, and I'm happy to help give someone a sense of what the path looks like,' Yang told Politico in a statement on Monday. Fox News reported that it independently confirmed the duo's conversation and received the same statement with no additional details. The Hill has reached out to Yang but didn't immediately hear back. 'If it breaks the duopoly I'm all for it,' Yang posted on the Musk-owned social platform X on Monday. The Forward Party's official account similarly posted a supportive message about Musk's new party. 'We welcome the growing realization that the two-party system isn't working and that the majority of Americans want more choices and more accountability,' the party said in the post. 'It's also an opportunity to reiterate that while Independent movements begun from the top down have had minimal long-term impact (such as Perot and Bloomberg), a grassroots movement — like Forward — focused on shared principles can make lasting change a reality.' 'We encourage all new, Independent movements to prioritize healthy reform and real solutions above all else,' the Forward Party added. Musk, 54, announced over the weekend that he would form the America Party as a third-party option after the disintegration of his once-close relationship with President Trump chiefly over the president's massive tax and spending overhaul known as the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act.' Trump signed the package into law on Friday, but Musk has argued that it adds too much to the federal debt, rather than reducing spending as he had pushed. Yang, 50, sought the Democratic nomination for president in 2020 and unsuccessfully ran as a Democrat for New York City mayor in 2021 before founding the independent Forward Party. The Forward Party is scheduled to hold a volunteer call Tuesday evening. Shortly after its creation, the Forward Party announced that it had merged with right- and left-leaning groups to create a larger movement. 'Building a positive unifying third party movement is going to be difficult but is also exactly what millions of Americans have been waiting for,' Yang said in a statement to The Hill in 2022 about the effort. 'That's why we will succeed.' Musk, who was once one of the president's closest allies and parlayed his massive Trump campaign donations into a special adviser role at the White House overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has vowed to back independent candidates in future election cycles, particularly ones who will challenge Republicans who voted for Trump's spending package, which he has referred to as a 'disgusting abomination.' 'When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,' Musk wrote Saturday on X. 'Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.' Yang similarly blasted Trump's legislation. 'I hate the bill and see it as irresponsible and dehumanizing,' he wrote in a Monday post on Substack. 'It has something to despise for everyone.' 'How does something like this pass?' he added. He also urged people to join the Forward Party to counter Republicans and Democrats in Congress. 'How to breed leadership in a system that rewards its opposite?' he asked. 'By changing the system itself. It's the only path out.' Trump, meanwhile, has sought to tamp down third-party talk, noting in a Truth Social post that 'they have never succeeded in the United States.' Trump briefly ran as a third-party presidential candidate in 2000 but quit after testing a few Reform Party primaries. He again mulled an independent run in 2012 before emerging as the GOP's White House candidate four years later. 'The System seems not designed for [third parties],' Trump wrote online Sunday evening. 'The one thing Third Parties are good for is the creation of Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS.'
Axios
08-07-2025
- Business
- Axios
Musk's America Party has helpers — and challenges
Elon Musk 's push to form a new political party is fielding offers for help from Andrew Yang 's Forward Party, the Libertarian Party and several consultants, Axios has learned. "I'm in touch with Elon and his team, and I've said to them, 'Look, anyone who wants to challenge the duopoly has a friend in me,' " Yang said in an interview with Axios. Why it matters: Musk has said he wants his America Party to be a political disruptor in the 2026 midterms — a likely outlet for the billionaire's push to cut the nation's runaway debt and boost sustainable energy. And, perhaps, strike back at President Trump and those Republican lawmakers who left Musk feeling betrayed by backing Trump's "big beautiful bill," which is projected to balloon the nation's deficits by more than $3 trillion over the next decade. Zoom in: So far, Musk's plans are mostly all talk — a germ of an idea to target a few members of Congress. Creating a third party in U.S. politics isn't easy, and requires an organization that's able to gather the signatures of thousands of voters in a state just to get on a ballot. Musk, who sank well over $200 million into backing Trump and Republicans last year, has the money to do that. Then there's the question of which voters and candidates would be willing to stand with Musk. He has a history of erratic behavior — and polls indicate he's alienated voters on both sides of the spectrum by cozying up to Trump, leading DOGE, and then bitterly breaking with Trump. But Monday, there were indications that other third parties might be willing to align with Musk. Yang said he might help Musk recruit candidates in the House districts where Musk is looking to challenge incumbents. Yang's Forward Party — founded in 2021, after his unsuccessful run in the Democratic presidential primary the year before — now has 46 elected officials representing the party. "Right now they're in learning mode," Yang said of Musk and his team. Musk "could make a third-party effort immediately viable, and that changes the game," said Ron Nielson, who managed Gary Johnson's Libertarian campaign for president in 2016 and said he would consider working for Musk's party. No Labels, an organization that considered trying to run an independent presidential candidate in 2024, is also intrigued by Musk's interest in creating a new governing coalition in Congress, according to a representative from the group. The Libertarian Party, meanwhile, is lobbying Musk where he lives — on X, his social media platform — urging him to join Libertarians over a shared interest of fiscal responsibility and concern about the deficit. The Libertarian Party has the most ballot access of the minor parties and regularly has candidates for offices at all levels of government. "Perhaps there is grounds for a coalition between the Libertarians and the America Party to run pro-liberty, small-government, fiscally conservative candidates against the Republicans, who have proven that they cannot be trusted," party chair Steven Nekhaila said. "There's many billionaires and very wealthy, rich, iconic people that have tried, but none of them have been successful" in third-party politics, Nekhaila said. Representatives for Musk didn't respond to a request for comment. Zoom out: State laws govern ballot access, and "the laws in each state tend to be very complex and arcane, and they are enforced by partisan election officials," said Oliver Hall, founder and executive director for the Center for Competitive Democracy. "If the partisan election officials are not disposed to want you on the ballot, then they can enforce them in somewhat arbitrary ways." Hall, whose organization helps all non-major party candidates navigate ballot access and litigation, has dealt with the numerous — and often frivolous — lawsuits filed by Democratic and GOP operatives to stifle third parties. One lawsuit against independent candidate Cornel West in 2024 aimed to keep West off the ballot in Wisconsin because his two-page candidate declaration wasn't stapled together, Hall said. "That's the kind of thing they will come after you for if they don't want you on the ballot," he said. In some states, it's harder for a new party to get on the ballot for a congressional race than a presidential election, said ballot access expert Richard Winger, who runs Ballot Access News. Between the lines: The third-party consulting and petitioning world is niche, but many people are motivated to expand voters' choices so Musk shouldn't struggle to find experts willing to work with him, several consultants told Axios. Being the world's richest person also will help Musk — where there's money, there are consultants and advisers. But Musk and his team will have to find the right team members, political veterans said. "I guarantee you every grifter in the petitioning world is already trying to get their claws into Musk," one third-party ballot access consultant told Axios.
Business Insider
08-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Elon Musk isn't the first businessman who's tried to challenge America's two-party system
Elon Musk says he's launching a new party called the "America Party." It's not the first time a businessman has tried to challenge the two-party system. Others who've tried it — or considered it — include Andrew Yang, Howard Schultz, and Ross Perot. Disillusioned by both the Republican and Democratic parties, a prominent businessman says he's going to try something new and break up the two-party duopoly. This year, it's Elon Musk, who says he's forming the "America Party" after his political alliance with President Donald Trump ended in spectacular fashion. Four years ago, it was Andrew Yang. And a couple of years before that, it was former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. The two-party system has been a frequent target of American businessmen in recent decades. And yet, the two parties are still standing. Whether it's forming a third party, launching an independent presidential bid, or some combination of the two, Musk may want to study the paths of those who came before him. Here are three other prominent businessmen who've tried to challenge the two-party system. Andrew Yang founded the Forward Party in 2021 Before Yang entered politics, he was an entrepreneur, launching a number of initiatives including Venture for America. Yang ran for president as a Democrat in 2020, with his signature policy being a form of universal basic income that he called the "Freedom Dividend." He was even endorsed by Musk. He later ran for mayor of New York City in 2021, coming in 4th on the first round of voting at roughly 12%. Months later, he founded the "Forward Party," a centrist political party that prioritizes innovation, electoral reform, and a rejection of polarization. A handful of state-level elected officials have affiliated with the Forward Party, and the party has endorsed several members of Congress, including Republican Sen. John Curtis of Utah and Democratic Rep. April McClain Delaney of Maryland. Yang has been supportive of Musk's nascent efforts to form a new political party. "Anyone who wants to bust up the duopoly has the right idea," Yang wrote on X on Sunday. He also told POLITICO in June that he'd reached out to Musk about joining forces, though he hadn't heard back. "I don't have to agree with everyone's past decisions in order to agree that the primary mission has to be getting our political system back in a place where it's actually responsive to both the views and the needs of the American people," Yang told the outlet. "Right now, we don't have that." Howard Schultz flirted with an independent 2020 presidential bid Howard Schultz, the billionaire former CEO of Starbucks, explored a run for president as a centrist independent for almost a year in 2019. While Schultz was mostly aligned with Democrats on the issues, he said at the time that he feared that the party was drifting too far to the left on economics and the role of government. Early on in 2019, he acknowledged that there was a math problem, and many were concerned that his bid would draw support away from the Democratic nominee and help reelect Trump. He ultimately decided against it in September 2019, writing in a letter to supporters: "My belief in the need to reform our two-party system has not wavered, but I have concluded that an independent campaign for the White House is not how I can best serve our country at this time." Ross Perot ran as an independent in 1992 and as part of the 'Reform Party' in 1996 Ross Perot, a billionaire businessman from Texas, was the most successful third-party presidential candidate in recent American history. He ran in both 1992 and 1996, both times on a populist platform of eliminating the budget deficit, opposing certain free trade deals, enacting term limits, and pursuing campaign finance reform. In 1992, he ran as an independent candidate, capturing almost 19% of the vote as Bill Clinton defeated President George H.W. Bush. In 1996, he ran as the nominee of the "Reform Party," which he founded the previous year to support his political movement. That year, he garnered just 8.4% of the vote. The Reform Party ultimately outlasted Perot's political career. Jesse Ventura won the 1998 Minnesota gubernatorial election as the party's nominee, and Trump even considered seeking the party's nomination in 2000.
