No Labels is moving forward with plans to form a third-party ticket for the 2024 election even as some of its top contenders have declined a presidential bid in the wake of a likely rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
The third-party group voted on Friday during a closed-door meeting to launch a presidential campaign ahead of the November contest despite pushback from both Republicans and Democrats that an alternative campaign could prove as a “spoiler” in the high-stakes election.
“I wasn’t sure exactly where No Labels delegates would land today but they sent an unequivocal message: Keep going,” No Labels National Convention Chairman Mike Rawlings said in a statement. “They voted near unanimously to continue our 2024 project and to move immediately to identify candidates to serve on the Unity presidential ticket. Every one of our delegates had their own explanation for wanting to move ahead.”
The decision comes just days after Super Tuesday, during which both Biden and Trump secured most of the delegates for their respective races, all but ensuring a rematch between the two later this year. No Labels leaders long said the group would decide on its path forward after Super Tuesday.
No Labels has been working to gain ballot access across the country as a third-party ticket. So far, the group has secured access in 16 states and plans to continue gathering signatures to appear in 33 states.
“If No Labels puts up a unity ticket, it will be on the ballot in all 50 states,” said Ryan Clancy, chief strategist for the group. “But as we have said repeatedly, No Labels will only be securing ballot access in 33 states because most of the remaining states require a named candidate to get on the ballot. The unity ticket campaign would be in charge of getting ballot access in the remainder of the states, and they would have more than enough time to do it.”
The group has long said it would only move forward with a third-party ticket in the case of a Trump-Biden rematch and only if there were a path forward for success.
However, some donors have expressed concerns in recent weeks that the group has missed its window to enter the race. Those concerns only began to grow last month after two of the group’s top contenders, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, both said they would not run for president.
No Labels has garnered criticism from some Democrats who argue a third-party ticket would spoil the election for Biden by siphoning votes away from the incumbent and handing the White House to Trump. Outside Democratic groups have pointed to historical evidence showing third-party candidates typically do poorly in general elections.
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The group has repeatedly rejected those claims, citing internal polling that shows a third-party candidate would pull support from both Biden and Trump rather than tilting the odds in one’s favor.
It is not yet clear who the group will choose as its third-party ticket as it did not vote on that matter during its delegate meeting on Friday. However, the group said it would announce its process for choosing a candidate on Thursday.