Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel · September 8, 2026
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Todd Bachelder has spent 40 years in business and banking, most of that time in Maine. He continues to provide advisory assistance to both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations.
Tired of partisanship, the polarization it engenders and the zero-sum political games we find ourselves playing these days? By wide measure, most of us think that our two major political parties are failing us. Fortunately, there is an alternative path forward -- a path being blazed by the Forward Party.
Founding co-chairs Christie Todd Whitman (former Republican New Jersey governor) and Andrew Yang (tech executive and former Democratic mayoral and presidential candidate) are leading what is less of a party in the traditional sense of the word, and more of a political movement.
It's a movement fueled by the idea that our elected leaders ought to put their constituents first and not their respective parties.
The Forward Party, Forward, or FWD for short, has endorsed independents, Democrats and former Republicans around the country. Forward chapters exist, or are being organized, in 43 of the nation's 50 states. Forward's first gubernatorial endorsement for 2026 was, in fact, independent candidate Rick Bennett for Maine governor.
Forward principles include: a commitment to the constitution and rule of law; a belief that everyone ought to be treated with respect and dignity; and a belief that our elected leaders should be acting ethically -- with integrity and compassion.
FWD reform initiatives include support for open primaries, ranked-choice voting and independent redistricting commissions to eliminate gerrymandering. Forward strives to
lower barriers for independent candidates as well as new political parties. Supporters are working to bring transparency and accountability to our ever increasingly expensive and dark money-fueled elections.
Enthusiasm for the movement is based on the premise that a relatively small bloc of genuinely independent-minded elected leaders can move us toward a world where the common good takes precedence over increasingly narrow and petty party interests.
Here in Maine, we have two candidates for governor who were born and raised here, both of whom have dedicated decades of their lives to public service and this state: Hannah Pingree and Rick Bennett. And then there is a third candidate for governor, Bobby Charles. If you've not had enough of what the Trump administration stands for, and what the current administration has brought to the state (ICE included), Charles is your candidate.
For the rest of us, the choice comes down to Rick or Hannah. I suspect Hannah would make a good governor. But I believe Rick Bennett will make an even better governor. I fear we are headed for some of the most challenging times Maine and this nation have faced in decades.
We are confronted with numerous problems: the increasing cost of food, energy, housing and healthcare; the Iran, Ukrainian and our numerous trade wars; the United States' growing $40 trillion debt; as well as the uncertainty and accelerating societal change artificial intelligence is likely to bring. All suggest tough times ahead.
Moving Maine forward and successfully addressing these challenges will require new ways of thinking and new ways of acting. We will need a governor committed to uniting us regardless of party affiliation. We will need our next governor's commitment to the best public policy ideas, regardless of their political origin. And whenever possible, we will need Maine's public and private sectors to work together in collaborative partnership.
I believe independent gubernatorial candidate Rick Bennett, with his government and business experience, is the candidate who can best serve Maine in the coming years.
Will the Forward Party succeed and Rick Bennett prevail in this fall's election? I do not know. But I do know that we cannot continue down the same political path and expect different results. This, as is often said, would be insanity.
Let's move forward with gubernatorial candidate Rick Bennett for a better Maine.
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