The centrist group No Labels announced on Thursday it is ditching its proposed third-party presidential run for 2024.
No Labels decided on March 8 that it would be running a “Unity Ticket” after roughly a year of floating such a bid, and announced the following week it would start its candidate vetting process. The group struggled to nab a credible ticket and chose to forgo a 2024 run, according to a press release obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“Americans remain more open to an independent presidential run, and hungrier for unifying national leadership, than ever before,” the group said. “But No Labels has always said we would only offer our ballot line to a ticket if we could identify candidates with a credible path to winning the White House. No such candidates emerged, so the responsible course of action is for us to stand down.”
Numerous prominent members of both major political parties turned down running on such a ticket, including West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, former Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.
The group’s efforts drew criticism from many Democrats who warned such a third-party bid would siphon off votes from President Joe Biden, potentially allowing former President Donald Trump to return to the White House.
No Labels had secured ballot access in 19 states for its presidential bid as of March 27, including Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming, the group announced.
“Like many Americans, we are concerned that the division and strife gripping the country will reach a critical point after this election, regardless of who wins,” the group added. “Post-election, No Labels will be prepared to champion and defend the values and interests of America’s commonsense 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 that this movement is not done. In fact, it is just beginning.”
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