Plan B for Haley? Top No Labels official says Nikki could join them — if she loses primary to Trump

No Labels’s founding chairman, former Sen. Joe Lieberman, said there would be a great deal of enthusiasm among the group if former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley’s Republican bid didn’t work out and she opted to run on their centrist ticket.

Speaking with Fox News’s Neil Cavuto, Lieberman noted Haley is focused on the Republican nomination but said: “If for some reason that didn’t work out and we decided we were going to run a ticket, I think there’d be a lot of people in No Labels who would be happy to give a lot of consideration to Nikki Haley.”

FLORIDA LAWMAKERS SLAM ‘CORRUPT DECISION’ TO SNUB FLORIDA STATE FROM COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF

Haley’s campaign quickly dismissed the possibility. “She is going to be the Republican nominee, not the No Labels nominee,” Haley spokesman Ken Farnaso said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.

“I have a lot of admiration for Nikki Haley,” Lieberman told Cavuto. “I haven’t talked to her at all about this, but it is true that some of our big supporters know her well, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were talking with her.”

The No Labels group has said it may nominate a presidential candidate in 2024 if two unpopular candidates are put forward by the major parties, likely in reference to President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. However, the organization has been primarily focused on gaining ballot access in states across the country, which would be necessary before any candidate could be selected.

According to Lieberman, “By the end of the year, we’ll be active in 27 states.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

“We hope to be on the ballot in at least 15 after the first of the year,” he said. As of the most recent reports, No Labels had gained access to ballots already in 10 states.

Several candidates have been speculated as potential No Labels nominees, including Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), former Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, and Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) — who has ruled out a 2024 run. Depending on the candidate No Labels selects, if it does choose to nominate one, the group could siphon votes from either the Republican or Democratic parties.