Progressive Party (Joe's World)

The Progressive Party was an American political party. It was founded in 2032 after a split in the Democratic party between the centrist DLC New Democrat faction and traditionally liberal members. It is the third most popular political party in the United States behind the Democratic-Republican party and the Conservative party. Its founding is attributed to Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, however the party also reverently considers its ideological forerunners to be Teddy Roosevelt, Henry Wallace, Ralph Nader and Howard Dean.

The party's growth was born in Vermont which was the first state to be dominated by its local Progressive Party and sent Progressive Senators to the United States Senate.

History
The Progressive Party movement originated in Vermont, which was the first state to be dominated by its local Progressive Party and sent Progressive Senators to the United States Congress beginning with Independent candidate Bernie Sanders in 1991. Similar State parties became active in other states leading to the rise in the number of Progressive Representatives, Senators and Governors. The three consecutive Democratic administrations of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Joaquin Castro created a deep rift within the Democratic party that upon their loss of the White House in 2028 the progressive coalition left the Democratic party in anticipation of the 2032 presidential election. They organized their own convention where they nominated Governor of Vermont Katherine Sims for president.

Platform
The Progressive Party encompasses a social-democratic and populist platform. The party's main focus has historically been advocacy for a single-payer health care system, renewable energy programs, modern public transportation, prison reforms, gun safety, ending the War on Drugs and ending the focus on standardized testing in the school system. The party also has an anti-war stance and calls for a reduction in military spending. The party is very supportive of human and animal rights.

Economically, the party also calls for converting the minimum wage to a living wage, having the economy focus on small and local businesses, empowerment of worker cooperatives and publicly owned companies as democratic alternatives to multi-national corporations and to decentralize the economy, for the strengthening of state law to protect the right to unionize, for implementing a progressive income tax and repealing the Capital Gains Tax Exemption and residential education property tax and all trade to be subject to international standards on human rights. The party is also critical of privatization.

Progressive Party nominees for President

 * 2032: Governor of Vermont Katherine Sims
 * 2036: California Senator Eric Swalwell
 * 2040: Massachusetts Senator Joseph Kennedy III
 * 2044: Governor of Maryland John Olszewski Jr.