'No Labels' moving closer to fielding third-party 2024 presidential candidate: reports
WASHINGTON - No Labels, a third-party presidential movement, is expected to move forward with potentially choosing a candidate to run against President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump in the November election, two sources told The Associated Press.
No Labels’ roughly 800 delegates will meet virtually in a private meeting Friday, not to name candidates for president and vice president, but to come up with a selection process for candidates who would be chosen in coming weeks, the sources said.
No Labels officials would not publicly confirm plans for Friday's meeting. In a statement, senior strategist Ryan Clancy told the AP, "We expect our delegates to encourage the process to continue."
The two sources said plans could change ahead of the vote, but there has been enthusiasm across its regional chapters for running a candidate, giving momentum to the idea of a vote on Friday.
The meeting comes after a sleepy Super Tuesday all but ensured a November rematch between Biden and Trump – and polls show a lack of enthusiasm among voters for either candidate.
What is No Labels?
Campaign signs for Republican presidential candidates former President Donald Trump and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley stand next to a sign asking voters to write in President Joe Biden in next Tuesdays primary election on January 19, 2024 in Loudo
No Labels is a third-party presidential movement that may launch an independent candidate for president in the 2024 election.
In February, No Labels national co-chair Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis told MSNBC's "The Weekend" that the group would decide whether to move forward with a "unity ticket" – a presidential nominee from one major party and a vice presidential nominee from the other.
"A unity ticket means a Republican and a Democrat. And we are talking to Republicans, Democrats, and independents," Chavis, a longtime civil rights activist and former executive director of the NAACP, said.
Chavis said that No Labels had qualified for the ballot in 16 states ahead of the 2024 election as of Feb. 19 and was still working to qualify for all 50.
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With a Biden-Trump rematch that few Americans are excited about, No Labels believes a bipartisan ticket could have wide appeal.
Group officials have said they are communicating with several potential candidates but have not disclosed any names.
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has said she's not interested in running as a No Labels candidate. After Haley dropped out of the Republican race on Wednesday, No Labels in a statement congratulated her for "running a great campaign and appealing to the large swath of commonsense voters."
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a moderate Democrat who is not seeking re-election this year, has said he will not seek the presidency. Republican former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who had been involved with No Labels, is instead seeking a U.S. Senate seat in November.
Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, a founding chair of No Labels, told Fox News that No Labels has a bipartisan nominating convention scheduled for April 2024 in Dallas.
No Labels criticism
Biden supporters worry No Labels will pull votes away from the president in battleground states, though the group’s founders say that’s not the intent.
In August, Lieberman said the group was not trying to act as a "spoiler" in the 2024 race, and that they’d only choose a third-party candidate "if we think it has a realistic chance to win."
No Labels founder and CEO Nancy Jacobson said in July that the group will end a third-party campaign if it increases Trump’s chances of returning to the White House.
Others have been critical of how the group won't disclose its donors or much of its decision-making. No Labels has stockpiled cash from people it has declined to name, including former Republican donors who have become disenchanted with the party's direction in the Trump era.
Critics and observers also believe it would be challenging for No Labels or any third-party ticket to have a chance in November.
The Associated Press and Fox News Digital contributed to this report.