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SANTA FE 鈥� New Mexico鈥檚 newest political party has made it official.

The Forward Party of New Mexico obtained minor party status for the upcoming general election cycle after party leaders submitted more than 5,500 voter signatures to the Secretary of State鈥檚 Office.

The Secretary of State鈥檚 Office notified party leaders and county clerks on Friday about the qualification, which means there will be three minor parties recognized in New Mexico for this year鈥檚 election cycle 鈥� the Libertarian Party, the Green Party and the Forward Party.  

The Forward Party announced its plans to become a minor party in New Mexico in April, when party co-founder Andrew Yang 鈥� a Democratic presidential candidate in 2020 鈥� traveled to Santa Fe and sa国际传媒官网网页入口 for launch events.

Party leaders have said they hope to capitalize on disillusionment with the political status quo, especially among younger voters, by offering an alternative that鈥檚 focused on data-driven policies and fair government.

But they also acknowledged that the party could face hurdles in a state where Democrats have held all statewide offices since 2019. Under New Mexico鈥檚 election code, minor party and independent candidates also must submit more voter signatures to qualify for the ballot than major party candidates.

After being approved as a minor party in New Mexico, the Forward Party announced Monday a preliminary slate of five candidates for general election races.

The slate includes Bob Perls, the New Mexico Forward Party鈥檚 chairman, who plans to run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Ben Ray Luj谩n, a Democrat seeking reelection to a second term.

It also includes two candidates running for Public Education Commission seats, one state House candidate and a state auditor candidate.

Perls, who is a former state legislator from Corrales, said the slate of candidates could give voters additional choices in November.

鈥淲e want to move New Mexico not left, not right, but forward,鈥� Perls said in a statement.

The official filing day for minor party and independent candidates is June 25, meaning the Forward Party could recruit additional candidates in the coming weeks. 

Meanwhile, political parties must also meet certain criteria in New Mexico in order to maintain their status, including no more than one general election in a row without at least one candidate on the ballot.

Dan Boyd covers state government and politics for the Journal in Santa Fe. Follow him on X at or reach him via email at dboyd@abqjournal.com.