Our young Forward Party made real progress in Virginia this week.

• For the first time, two Forward Party candidates competed for legislative seats.
• Arlington County’s elections featured Forward candidates for the second year in a row.
• Our candidates offered genuine choice and fresh ideas in races long dominated by a single party:
  • Kristin Farry, a military veteran, carried the Forward banner in central Virginia’s 72nd District—an area hit hard by rising health-care costs and shrinking access to services.
  • Brandon Givens, a schoolteacher and voice of common sense, ran in Virginia’s 11th District, where federal cuts and disruptions have taken a toll.
  • Dr. Vell Rives, in his second campaign for Arlington School Board, expanded his base of endorsements from across the political spectrum.
  • D.C. Pretelt, a Forward-affiliated candidate, built on the foundation laid by Madison Granger’s campaign last year for the Arlington County Board.

Thanks to these bold candidates—and the growing number of active Forward volunteers—this election cycle we:

• Knocked on more doors,
• Met more voters,
• Campaigned in more counties, and
• Earned more votes.

When voters know about Forward, they support us.

Our candidates outperformed expectations despite lean resources. Across town halls, virtual gatherings, and neighborhood events, we saw a consistent pattern: awareness leads to enthusiasm. In the precinct where Brandon Givens was best known and personally greeted voters on Election Day, his vote share was four times higher than his district average. Kristin Farry doubled her support in precincts where her campaign had a strong presence.

These results reflect the courage, commitment, and patriotism of our candidates – and the steadfast support of their families. Running for office is an act of civic devotion, and every Forward candidate deserves our gratitude for carrying our message to an ever-growing audience.

Our success also depends on the generosity of our donors and volunteers, who put in the legwork to run campaigns, distribute materials, and raise awareness. A special thanks to Shane Crowe, who helped staff Brandon’s campaign, Matt Panhans, who led voter outreach in Arlington, and Sophia Nelson – each of whom gave their time freely to help Forward grow.

Virginia Needs the Forward Party

Democrats had a strong showing statewide. But Virginia’s off-year elections often favor the party that lost the previous presidential race. The election results seem less like a ringing endorsement of the Democrats than a protest against the party in power. After all, Abigail Spanberger and Zohran Mamdani aren’t exactly charting the same course for the future.

For Virginians—and Americans more broadly—the election outcome is unlikely to bring meaningful change. The fundamentals remain stubbornly the same:

• The cost of living keeps rising.
• Economic opportunity feels reserved for the well-connected few.
• Republicans and Democrats trade in theater, not problem-solving.

Neither legacy party seems ready to listen to voters who simply want government to function, respect its limits, and deliver results.

That’s why we’re continuing our work to challenge the stagnant politics of the Republican-Democratic duopoly.

We can do it.

If you look only at vote percentages, our candidates struggled. But if you look at vote conversion – how we perform when voters actually know us – the story is much brighter. Our task now is to build the infrastructure needed to support candidates effectively and reach more voters.

Persistence pays off. Our momentum is real and growing. Building a new party is demanding work – it takes patience, grit, and above all, citizens like you.

Need more proof? Forward candidates and Forward-endorsed candidates won elections this week in Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. That includes Jay Doyle, who was elected Mayor of Georgetown, South Carolina, on the Forward Party ballot line with 56% of the vote.

As we close this election cycle, we’re already setting our sights on 2026.

To build on this momentum, we need more of everything: more volunteers, more donors, more candidates. Let us know how you’d like to get involved—and bring a friend along for the journey.

With gratitude and optimism for our young party,

Chris Hessler
On behalf of the Forward Virginia Executive Committee