Newberry mayor changes political parties again, joins Yang's Forward Party

Newberry Mayor Jordan Marlowe has once again changed his party affiliation.

The former Democrat turned-Libertarian announced this week that he has now registered with the Forward Party. The party was formed by former presidential candidate Andrew Yang and just achieved legal party recognition in Florida last month.

Marlowe, the first-ever sitting mayor registered with the group, made the announcement at a launch event for the Forward Party of Alachua County on Tuesday. Afterward, he attended a school board meeting to advocate for Shane Andrew as superintendent alongside a group of Newberry conservatives.

“I am ready to move ‘Forward.’ I’m ready to move Newberry forward, move our county forward, and move this country forward,” Marlowe said in a press release. “Let’s move forward together.”

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Joel Searby, Forward Party’s national director of communities and building and an Alachua County resident, said Marlowe’s party switch demonstrates the party’s focus on local offices and communities.

“Unlike other new party or independent efforts, Forward isn’t chasing the fleeting limelight of presidential politics,” Searby said. “The Forward Party is focused on finding and elevating the dedicated servant leaders who will work to bring people together to solve problems that impact our local communities. Mayor Marlowe embodies that vision and strategy.”

Forward Party, which positions itself as a middle-of-the-road alternative to more polarizing parties, is co-chaired by Yang, a candidate in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primary and the 2021 Democratic primary for the New York mayoral race.

The party platform, however, is vague when it comes to policy and stresses finding solutions to political and societal issues on a case-by-case basis. It encourages, according to its website, individualized policy solutions decidedly not passed down from a large national platform. The party’s website has a FAQ section that asks, “What do you stand for then?”

“Through collaboration rather than polarization, we’ll advance realistic, sensible solutions that move us forward and past the extremes,” the website reads. “Whether it’s abortion, climate change, or gun safety — the two major parties aren’t getting the job done.”

Marlowe said he has never fully resonated with either the Democratic or Republican parties. Forward Party, he explains, is a solution to that problem.

“For the last 12 years, it has been my honor to serve my residents of the city of Newberry,” he said in the release. “In that time it’s always been my goal to work to bring people together to solve the real-world problems our residents face. I’ve never really felt at home in either of the two main political parties.”

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Newberry Mayor Jordan Marlowe joins Andrew Yang's Forward Party