Joshua Ford of Kingston prepares to challenge U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren as an Independent.

KINGSTON – In announcing his 2018 Senate campaign, Joshua Ford of Kingston prepares to challenge U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren as an Independent.

Upset by what he calls a corrupt two-party system bought and paid for by corporations, Ford, 36, of Kingston, said he felt he had to step up to make a change because he felt no one else would.

“I just kept waiting for someone in Massachusetts to step up and say what is going on in Massachusetts isn’t acceptable anymore,” he said.

Ford said he believes it’s possible to defeat Warren and has been reaching out to other progressives through an online network of contacts to coordinate his campaign to take on the establishment, including big oil and big banks. He said people’s voices should matter but the system is rigged against the little guy.

Ford, a deputy sheriff in Middlesex County for the last nine years, grew up in Melrose. Ford said he wants to help families live the American dream at a time when the middle class is in decline. He has lived in Kingston for a few years along with his girlfriend, Mallory Canavan, and their children, Harley, 2, Brandon, 9, and Mackenzie, 11.

During the recent presidential campaign Ford supported U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, who encouraged others to get involved and run for office. He decided against running for local office to make a difference instead at a federal level. He did his research, and Warren’s seat was next up.

It’s not Ford’s first foray into politics. When he was in high school, he ran for the Board of Aldermen and lost by just 100 votes. He was elected to the Melrose Democratic City Committee and served on the Democratic State Committee.

Ford said he is an registered Independent Party member, and is campaigning on a platform that supports single-payer healthcare, the rich paying their fair share, belief in climate change, ending the wars in the Middle East, breaking up the major corporations, including those in the mainstream media, and raising the minimum age to $15 an hour to provide financial security so people can open their own business.

Ford, who belongs to a law enforcement family in Melrose, said he has a degree in criminal justice from Fitchburg State College. Ford will need to get 10,000 signatures from registered Massachusetts voters to get on the ballot and has a goal of raising $1,500 through Crowdpac for political candidates.

He said it’s an opportunity that has been created for him by the election of President Trump, and he’s ready for the challenge of getting his message out there.

Follow Kathryn Gallerani on Twitter @kgallreporter.