HARRISBURG, Pa. — On Tuesday, former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang came to Harrisburg to help launch third-party campaigns for two men running in statewide races.
The two candidates are running under Yang's new "Forward Party."
“People are sick of the polarization, of the blame game, and of things falling apart," said Yang, who is the Forward Party co-chair. "That's why this is such an important opportunity for Pennsylvanian voters to say, 'we get it. We want better for ourselves.'"
The Forward Party nominated Eric Settle and Chris Foster for Attorney General and State Treasurer, respectively.
Eric Settle, a former Republican from Montgomery County, served as Deputy General Counsel for Governor Tom Ridge, as well as General Counsel in the healthcare industry.
"Because of my experience in healthcare, I'm looking at making sure that there's adequate healthcare coverage for people around the Commonwealth," said Settle.
Chris Foster, a former Democrat from Allegheny County, is a former professional tennis player and entrepreneur.
“This department, really of any department in government, should be run like a business," said Foster. "We shouldn’t be confused about where our taxpayer dollars are allocated.”
The announcements come as more American voters do not align with the Democratic or Republican parties. According to a recent Gallup poll, 43% of US voters say they identify as independent voters.
FOX43 spoke with several people who say they would consider voting for a third-party candidate in a statewide race.
“I think the two-party system is okay, but more options never hurt anyone," said Dominic Alianiello, a voter from Altoona.
“If a third-party candidate aligned with my views on issues that are important to me, then I would consider voting third-party," said Deryn Varney, a voter from Harrisburg.
Sarah Niebler, a political science professor at Dickinson College, said the Forward Party candidates will still face an uphill climb in the November election. However, she said the presence of a third-party option potentially could shakeup the race .
"Pennsylvania is a very closely divided state, right now," said Niebler. “Even having a third-party candidate take some votes from either the Democrats or Republicans can affect the outcome of the race in November.”
FOX43 reached out to the Pennsylvania Democrats and Republicans for comment on the Forward Party's announcement—but we have not heard back as of this hour.