From The New Mexico Forward Party:

The New Mexico Forward Party is scheduled to hold a Town Hall from 3-5 p.m. Saturday at Fuller Lodge.  Party Chair Bob Perls will meet with the public to discuss how the Forward Party achieved ballot access, and why they are running candidates up and down the ballot in the November general election.

“Forward is committed to making elections more competitive, running independent thinkers who want to coalition-build and problem solve using data-driven solutions,” Perls said. “30 percent of Los Alamos voters are registered independents, and in the next two years, we expect independents to be a majority of voters in New Mexico. The two legacy parties are not representing the majority in Los Alamos or across the state.”

Forward wants to meet with folks who will consider running for HD43 since there currently is no competition for the incumbent in either the primary or the general election.

House District 43 encompasses Los Alamos and the surrounding communities. The incumbent, Rep. Christine Chandler, voted against open primaries disenfranchising independent voters in her district.

“All politicians should have competition and have to explain their votes to their constituents whether you think the incumbent is doing a good job or not. Only through competition, debate and discourse does the elected official have a mandate to govern,” Perls said. “We have the opportunity to show Los Alamos voters that a diversity of ideas, whether they are considered left, right or center, make for more robust debate and better decision making.”

In addition, HD41 in the Espanola area is an open seat with no competition in the general election. The Forward Party is looking for a strong candidate to run in that race as well.

Any voter, regardless of party affiliation, can run in November under the Forward Party banner. Potential candidates must join the Forward Party on May 8 and file their declaration of candidacy along with required signatures on June 23.

Please RSVP for the Town Hall when possible to: run4office@nmforwardparty.org