A nonprofit political organization with anonymous backers is seeking to field a third-party candidate for the 2024 presidential election.
This could help swing results in former President Donald Trump’s favor, despite outward suggestions that the group is against the former president winning a second term.
The organization, called No Labels, is a 13-year-old nonprofit group that is establishing the groundwork to run an alternative candidate for the 2024 presidential race if the election turns into a rematch between Trump and Biden.
The organization’s leadership is composed of both Republicans and Democrats.
“We are preparing for the possibility of nominating a candidate. We have not yet committed to do so. We will run ONLY under the proper environmental conditions, which must be met for us to proceed,” the group said on its website.
As to what those conditions are, No Labels has given a few hints.
Possible ‘Spoiler’ Campaign
Despite No Labels being against the former president, a candidate from the group could swing the presidential race in critical areas, potentially in favor of Trump.The No Labels candidate could also end up creating a situation where no presidential candidate is able to secure 270 electoral votes. This would allow state delegations of the House to choose the winner of the presidential election, potentially favoring the GOP nominee.
Chavis insisted in his NBC interview that “No Labels is not and will not be a spoiler in favor of Donald Trump in 2024.”
Historically, third-party presidential candidates have not performed well. However, there have been occasions when such candidates were cited as having taken away votes from a popular candidate. For instance, Green Party candidate Ralph Nader is seen as having cost Democrat Al Gore his 2000 presidential election.
In the 2024 election, a name popping up as a potential presidential candidate for No Labels is Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin from West Virginia, who has said he is open to considering a run for the White House.
Group’s Activity So Far
No Labels has qualified for ballots in Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and Alaska, The Wall Street Journal reported. The group intends to be qualified in 20 states by the end of the year.Democrat supporters are wary of growing voter interest in third-party candidates because of the impact of such candidates in the 2016 and the 2020 presidential races.
The Democrat Party is already taking steps to counter No Labels. In Arizona, the state’s Democrat Party filed a complaint in the Maricopa County Superior Court “to protect Arizona voters from dark money interests” like No Labels, whom they accuse of “engaging in a shadowy strategy to gain ballot access,” according to a March 20 statement.
No Labels’ founding chairman is former Sen. Joe Lieberman, who began his political career as a Democrat but later became an independent.
It has three national co-chairs: former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican; former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, also a Republican; and Chavis.