A new political party is launching in Nassau County, but it’s not right nor is it left of the political spectrum. It’s moderate.
“With the Moderate Party, we’ll see that there is room, a lot of room, in the middle for more nuanced positions and for folks that are more considerate of everyone and their needs vs. the extremes,” party co-founder Dave Kerpen said.
Kerpen, a Democratic candidate running for North Hempstead town supervisor, said he has recognized a political polarization ranging from national to local politics. Despite this phenomenon, Kerpen said he has found most people lie politically somewhere in the middle.
In Nassau County, 278,739 registered voters are not affiliated with a political party, according to the state Board of Elections. This represents about 27% of active registered voters.
The Moderate Party is a rejection of political extremism, Kerpen said, seeking to better represent the entire local constituency and reach those voters who reside in the middle.
“We humans like to make labels, but for me it’s important to note that most people really are moderate in their thinking,” Kerpen said.
The five tenets of the Moderate Party are fiscal responsibility with social compassion, safe neighborhoods and smart criminal justice reform, public education, environmental action and transparency.
Kerpen, a Democrat who considers himself a fiscal conservative with social liberalism stances, said his political stance has not been easily defined as just left or right.
County Legislator Seth Koslow, who is running for Nassau’s County executive as a Democrat, said the main question he is asked on the campaign trail is about his political party. But he said just describing himself as a Democrat doesn’t cut it.
“Because you don’t know what I am as a Democrat,” Koslow said. “You don’t know if I’m super liberal or super conservative as a Democrat, if I’m pro this or anti that. By looking at the Moderate Party, it’s without saying anything else where I stand on issues.”
Koslow said joining the Moderate Party was simple.
“It just makes sense,” Koslow said.
He said he also hopes to re-engage disenfranchised voters who have been pushed out by extremism.
“This party represents an ability to get back to the basics of negotiating, working together, agreeing to disagree but getting stuff done,” Koslow said.
Koslow said the campaign issues he is focused on are affordability and safety in Nassau County, including fiscal responsibility through equitable investment in communities and fostering safe community relations with law enforcement.
“We can’t achieve those goals of safety, security, affordability without working together to find a solution that fits most of us,” Koslow said.
Kerpen said oftentimes voters will vote along their party lines, sometimes without knowledge of what the candidate’s stances are. With political variation within parties, this can lead to a voter electing someone who doesn’t actually represent their ideals.
With the Moderate Party line, Kerpen said this will add another layer of information for voters stepping into the polling booth. In an instance where a voter is not well informed about the candidate, Kerpen said the Moderate Party identification can further inform voters of the candidate’s stance, whether Republican or Democrat.
Candidates can run on two political party lines, and Kerpen said he will run on the Democrat and Moderate Party lines—so long as the Moderate Party garners enough signatures.
The Moderate Party would be featured as a third party on the ballot, which candidates could run under in tandem with either the traditional Republican or Democratic ticket.
The party needs 2,000 signatures to be featured on the ballot and is still gathering petition signatures. Kerpen said they have already received a couple of hundred since launching.
Kerpen said feedback so far has been positive.
“Because it represents most people, people feel really excited to see this new opportunity,” Kerpen said. “An opportunity for somebody that really represents their thinking and their values.”
Kerpen acknowledged the difficulties of establishing a third party but expressed hope that the Moderate Party could resonate with many voters.
“This is for the people who are tired of the system that’s broken because people in our political system refuse to talk to the other side of the aisle, refuse to hear the other side’s perspective and people are fed up with that,” Koslow said. “Political divide is a problem, and moderation will bring us back together.”