Economic, social and environmental justice though independent progressive politics.
In recent years, American society has become ripe for the creation of a competitive Progressive Party. Generally most people have favored progressive policies for decades, but since 2013, as discontent with the two major parties has grown, a clear majority has also come to support the creation of a third major party. And since the Democratic Party’s suppression of the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign in 2016 and in 2020, many more progressive activists and voters have become primed to consider third party alternatives.
Yet efforts to build a viable progressive party nationally haven’t taken off yet, in large part because they’ve lacked a credible strategy for gaining power or competent organization. They have either focused on accumulating endorsements and avoided participating in elections; routinely promoted weak candidates in unwinnable races; or accepted working within the corporate-dominated Democratic Party. Moreover, the leaders of some progressive party-building groups have lacked the professional skills and style essential for creating a stable and well-functioning operation. In sum, a striking gap has developed between the growing potential for a competitive progressive party and various failed, stalled or doomed attempts to build it.
Acutely aware of the problems above, several longtime progressive and third party activists from across the country began working together in 2018 to create a more solid foundation for a new progressive party. To begin with, they communicated with various sympathetic groups and individuals at the state and local level. But it soon became clear that a major obstacle was a lack of support for the development of effective organization and candidacies. Consequently in 2019 the Progressive Party Organizing Fund was established. Over the next year, PPOF focused on building its organizational foundation, including its website, core team, and a set of projects. In early 2021, the name was changed to Progressive Party Builders and the group was formally launched.
