Centrist Project wants to break with traditional two-party system

 The Union League on South Broad Street at Sansom in Philadelphia (Emma Lee/WHYY, file)

The Union League on South Broad Street at Sansom in Philadelphia (Emma Lee/WHYY, file)

A group of independent political leaders, meeting in Philadelphia this weekend, has a goal of moving away from the traditional two-party approach to government.

The meeting was set in Philadelphia, the place where the country began to take form, said Nick Troiano, executive director of the nonprofit Centrist Project. Project organizers want to chart a new course away from Democrats and Republicans leading the country.

“In his farewell address, George Washington said the spirit of party would enfeeble the public administration, cause ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, and open us up to foreign influence,” Troiano said. “Those are all things that are happening today, and we need to be able to correct course —  and these are the leaders we think are able to do it.”

The goal is to inject some fresh ideas into the political system, he said, with slates of candidates who are not beholden to the major political parties.

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“These are generally people who share some common-sense principles, they believe in things like fiscal and environmental sustainability, good governance, economic opportunities, social tolerance.”

The plan is to start by supporting independent candidates in next year’s midterm congressional and gubernatorial elections.

It’s not clear whether that support will come with campaign cash.

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