The Forward Party today is proud to accept Senator Daniel Thatcher (SD 11: Salt Lake, Tooele, Utah Counties) as its first elected member of the Utah State Senate. On the last day of the legislative session, the Senator left the GOP to join the Forward Party, citing the Party’s principles of transparent, effective governance, and their value of treating everyone with dignity and respect.
Andrew Yang, former Presidential candidate and Forward’s Founding Co-Chair, said, “Today more than ever, our elected officials are followers. It takes courage to step forward and truly lead. Senator Thatcher continues to demonstrate his morals through the leadership he’s showing today, and we couldn’t be more proud that he’s joining Forward.”
In front of a crowd of press and supporters, Sen. Thatcher delivered a speech expressing his disappointment with Utah’s GOP leadership, particularly in regards to their continued efforts to stymy Utahns’ right to democratic participation, citing examples such as the recent passage of HB 300 making the vote-by-mail process more onerous, and last year’s battle over Amendment D and the legislature’s efforts to control the results of citizen-led ballot initiatives.
In particular, the Forward Party’s values of respect for the rule of law and the Constitution; restoring power to the voters; driving on effective solutions; and individual liberty, personal responsibility, and civic engagement resonated with the Senator as he made his decision to switch his affiliation.
He encouraged other citizens who are more aligned with the Forward Party’s principles to join him in switching their registration by visiting https://vote.utah.gov/
The Forward Party is incredibly proud to accept Sen. Thatcher into our ranks. He has served his district honorably since 2011 as a champion to the downtrodden and forgotten. Among his many accomplishments during this time include spearheading the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
In a fraught time when so many Americans feel the legacy parties no longer represent them, the Forward Party welcomes all to join our movement. The Forward Party is a 50-state movement that seeks pragmatic, data driven, and collaborative solutions without regard to ideology, while affirming a commitment to democracy, the Constitution, and rule of law.
Lt. Gov Kerry Healey, Forward’s Executive Chair who served as Mitt Romney’s Lieutenant Governor in Massachusetts, said, “I was in Utah several years ago as our state leadership team delivered their petitions to the state house to become a recognized party, and I’m here in spirit today as Senator Thatcher joins the Party. We are excited for such a principled leader to join our ranks. Senator Thatcher’s focus on serving his constituents in a transparent and accountable manner embodies Forward’s approach to governance. We expect our elected officials to stand up for what is right, what they believe, and what their constituents want, and we will support Senator Thatcher as he continues to do so. And we welcome any other leaders to join Senator Thatcher who want to be a part of a Party that won’t require them to compromise their morals to toe the party line.”
Please visit https://www.forwardparty.com/ to read more about the Party’s principles and to understand the strategy to achieve becoming a national political force. The following individuals are available for Comment:
- Sen. Daniel Thatcher’s PIO, Barbara Stallone at 801-638-1494
- Utah Forward Party Chair – Adam Teuscher at [email protected] or (385) 352-3239.
- Forward National Executive Chair Kerry Healey – contact Matt Shinners at [email protected]
- Forward National Founding Co-Chair Andrew Yang – contact Matt Shinners at [email protected]