New Mexico Forward Party officially approved as minor party
The party on Monday released the names of five candidates who plan to run in the November general election.
The centrist Forward Party at the national level was co-founded by former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, who visited Santa Fe to announce plans for a New Mexico party. The New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office approved the party Friday.
“With this final step, Forward is officially a political party and New Mexicans now have a real choice when casting their ballots in November. We want to move New Mexico not left, not right, but Forward,” state party Chair Bob Perls said in a statement Monday.
“The party is continuing to recruit candidates through the June 25 deadline,” Perls said in the statement.
The candidates still need to collect the required voter signatures to make it onto the ballot.
The Forward Party submitted over 5,500 signatures to be approved as a minor party, according to a news release, but only 3,500 were required.
The following are the Forward Party candidates who have announced their intention to run in November:
- Michael Vigil: The retired certified public accountant is running for state auditor, Perls said. Incumbent State Auditor Joseph Maestas, a Democrat, is running unopposed in the June 2 primary. Joshua James Ryan Lawrence is the write-in Republican candidate for state auditor.
- Bob Perls: The tech entrepreneur and former state representative plans to challenge U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, a Democrat, for his Senate seat. Luján is facing democratic socialist Matt Dodson in the primary. Larry Marker is the write-in Republican candidate.
- Karin Hendrickson: The retiree of Los Alamos National Laboratory is seeking the state House District 43 seat, Perls said. Rep. Christine Chandler, a Democrat, has represented House District 43 since 2019. The Forward Party at its launch event last month said it would focus on challenging lawmakers who voted against a bill to make New Mexico's primaries semiopen. Chandler voted against the bill.
- Dennis Dinge: The physicist, who also serves as state secretary of the New Mexico Forward Party, plans to run for the Public Education Commission District 3 seat. One person is listed as having qualified so far to run for the seat, a Democratic write-in named Jacob Trujillo.
- Curtis Clough: The superintendent of Corona Public Schools is running for the Public Education Commission's District 6. The Secretary of State's Office website lists Republican Stewart Ingham, the incumbent, as running for reelection.
