No Labels, no candidate.
No Labels — the centrist group dedicated to offering a “unity ticket” in the 2024 elections as an alternative to President Biden and Donald Trump — suspended its campaign Thursday after failing to find worthy House contenders White.
“Americans remain more open than ever to an independent presidential campaign and more hungry for unifying national leadership,” the group said in a statement. “But No Labels has always said that we will only offer our ballot line to a ticket if we can identify candidates with a credible path to victory in the White House. No such candidate has been put forward, so the responsible course of action is for us to withdraw.”
The Wall Street Journal first reported that No Labels would suspend its presidential bid.
The suspension ends months of discussions — and fundraising efforts that cost tens of millions of dollars — for the insurgent efforts.
No Labels announced on March 8 that it would accelerate “outreach among its candidates” to identify Republicans and Democrats who could appear on the list.
The organization’s 800 delegates voted almost unanimously to continue their efforts, national convention president Mike Rawlings said in a statement at the time.
But the group soon struggled to convince qualified candidates to agree to run.
Former GOP presidential candidates Nikki Haley and Chris Christie have both ruled out running on the third-party line, as have Biden challenger Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) and Sen. Center -left Joe Manchin (D-WV).
Georgia’s former Republican lieutenant governor, Geoff Duncan, was also in talks with No Labels before publicly announcing on March 18 that he was stepping down.
The group declined to reveal who else was being seriously considered for its ticket, emphasizing that its efforts were also aimed at running for office in all 50 states.
No Labels was dealt another blow on March 27 when one of its founding presidents, former Senator Joe Liberman (D-Connecticut) died at the age of 82 after a fall.
Moving forward, No Labels promised to “stay engaged over the next year, during what is likely to be the most contentious presidential election of our lifetimes.” We will encourage dialogue around major policy challenges and call out both sides when they speak and act in bad faith.”
“Like many Americans, we fear that the division and conflict ravaging the country will come to a head after this election, regardless of who wins,” No Labels concluded. “After the election, No Labels will be ready to defend the values and interests of America’s common-sense majority. We will also bring our citizens and leaders together for a summit to discuss the path forward for our community and our nation.
“Suffice it to say, this movement is not over. In fact, it has only just begun.
New York Post
