As first reported by The Wall Street Journal, the centrist political group No Labels announced on Thursday that they will not run a third-party “unity” ticket against Donald Trump and Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential election.
In a statement, the group said they were unable to find a candidate that had a credible path to winning, “so the responsible course of action is for us to stand down. We will remain engaged over the next year during what is likely to be the most divisive presidential election of our lifetimes and will promote dialogue around major policy challenges and call out both sides when they speak and act in bad faith.”
No Labels said Thursday that “Americans remain more open to an independent presidential run and hungrier for unifying national leadership than ever before. Big ideas are not new for us. We have been working since 2010 to organize citizens across America and members of Congress through the Problem Solvers Caucus, which we created to push back on the extremes in our politics and push forward solutions to America’s biggest problems. That work is more important now than ever. Big ideas are not new for us …we have been working since 2010 to organize citizens across America and members of Congress through the Problem Solvers Caucus, which we created to push back on the extremes in our politics and push forward solutions to America’s biggest problems. That work is more important now than ever – for now, suffice it to say that this movement is not done, in fact, it is just beginning.”
Potential candidates previously considered for a No Labels ticket included Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, and Larry Hogan, former Republican governor of Maryland. Hogan ultimately decided to run for the U.S. Senate in Maryland. Before announcing its decision to abandon the plans for a third-party candidate, No Labels said it qualified on the ballot in 21 states, which is far more than independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with only one state so far confirming him qualified for the ballot.
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