Unpacking the Leadership Structure of a Merged Political Organization

Chuck Todd begins by trying to make sense of the Elon Musk vs. Donald Trump public feud and why Trump will likely be muted in his criticism. Chuck also weighs in on the NYC mayoral race, why Andrew Cuomo shouldn’t be allowed to run this soon after resigning in disgrace and why voters were deprived of closure in the Cuomo scandal.

Then, Chuck sits down with Lindsey Williams Drath, CEO of the Forward Party, to explore the challenges and opportunities facing America's newest third-party movement. Williams discusses the party's "purple" approach to politics, rejecting traditional left-right labels while focusing on governance over party affiliation. The conversation covers the significant barriers third parties face, from institutional pushback to the infrastructure advantages held by Republicans and Democrats, who have "pulled the ladder up behind them" through restrictive ballot access requirements and partisan primaries.

Looking ahead to the 2026 and 2028 elections, Drath outlines the Forward Party's strategic approach to building from the ground up at the state level, targeting swing districts and disaffected voters from both major parties. The discussion touches on fusion voting, potential mergers with other independent groups, and the party's unique challenge of maintaining unity without a rigid ideology. Williams also addresses whether candidates with contradictory positions can coexist under one party banner, the role of money in politics, and how the Forward Party plans to avoid becoming a spoiler while building toward federal party status and meaningful electoral competition.

Finally, Chuck answers listeners’ question in the “Ask Chuck” segment regarding whether he’d ever consider working in the White House comms shop, what type of leader could best correct the erosion of American democracy, and who he thinks are the top 3 candidates to be at the top of the Democratic ticket in 2028.

Timeline:

00:00 Introduction

02:30 There is tremendous dissatisfaction with both political parties

04:00 What to make of the Elon Musk vs Donald Trump feud?

05:00 One party governance breeds bad governance

07:30 Trump vs Musk was always going to be a test of wills

08:30 Trump isn’t as aggressive with people wealthier than him

10:15 Democrats likely won’t forgive Elon if he turns on Trump

11:30 Winner of the Democratic NYC mayoral primary will be the mayor

12:45 Andrew Cuomo hasn’t lived in NYC in 35 years

13:45 Cuomo shouldn’t have resigned because we never got closure on accusations

15:45 If you resign in disgrace, there needs to be an electoral penalty

16:30 Cuomo never faced an impeachment trial

18:30 Multiple governors have resigned in order to dodge investigations

21:00 We never got an accounting of Al Franken’s ethics committee report

23:00 Cuomo shouldn’t be able to run again so soon

24:00 Lindsey Williams Drath joins the Chuck ToddCast! 

24:50 What is the Forward Party and what do they believe? 

26:30 Barriers to entry for a third party 

27:10 There's growing sentiment for the need for a third party 

28:30 There's major institutional pushback to third parties 

29:30 Republicans and Democrats have an infrastructure advantage 

30:20 10-year goal. What is success? 

31:15 Built the party from the ground up at the state level 

32:30 Andrew Yang's role in building the party 

35:30 Administrative roles in Forward Party 

37:45 Goal for the midterms is not a third party spoiler; but party-building; state level 

40:15 Working toward federal party status; looking at seats in 2026 & 2028 

42:10 What districts will they be targeting? 

44:30 How Forward candidates can register for ballot access 

47:00 Major parties have pulled the ladder up behind them. 

47:50 Partisan primaries are unconstitutional 

49:30 Defining fusion voting 

51:30 Merging with the Independence Party? 

53:15 There are lots of disaffected voters; and many "formers" in the Forward Party 

55:45 We need to prioritize governance over party affiliation 

57:30 What did the Problem Solvers Caucus fail at? 

59:00 Lisa Murkowski building trust from her base while caucusing with both parties 

59:45 John Cornyn missing opportunity to be more independent from GOP 

1:01:45 What's stopping candidates from working with the Forward party? 

1:03:45 What candidates do they want to target? What's the win? 

1:05:30 Voters have closer relationships with mayors & governors

1:08:50 The Forward Party is planning a convention 

1:10:45 Can you be a political party that doesn't have an ideology or candidates that contradict? 

1:14:30 Money in politics & government debt are linked

1:27:45 Chuck's thoughts on interview with Lindsey Willams Drath 

1:30:30 Ask Chuck 

1:30:45 Would you ever want to work at the White House in communications? 

1:34:15 What type of leader can fix the erosion of our democracy and civic unity? 

1:38:30 Which three democrats are most likely to win the nomination in 28?