Bipartisan political group No Labels has ended its effort to run a third-party candidate in the 2024 election, according to a Thursday statement that the group shared with Newsweek.
No Labels for months sought to put forward a candidate to challenge the main parties' presumptive nominees—Democratic President Joe Biden, and former President Donald Trump of the Republican Party. But after several rejections from prospective candidates on both sides of the aisle, Nancy Jacobson, CEO and founder of No Labels, told supporters this week that they were abandoning plans for the 2024 election.
The Wall Street Journal first reported on No Labels' decision earlier on Thursday.
Democrats had worried after the centrist group started building momentum last year, concerned that a third-party candidate could take votes away from Biden. Nationwide polling has shown that a large number of American voters are unhappy with a likely rematch of the 2020 election in November.
The Context
No Labels announced last year that it had raised $60 million to put toward a "unity ticket" in the presidential election, which would feature one Democrat and one Republican. Jacobson had later indicated to donors that she planned to choose a Republican for the presidential candidate.
The group was quickly approaching an April 15 deadline to announce its pick, the day that independent candidates can begin collecting signatures to ensure appearance on the ballot in New York. The New York Times previously reported that No Labels was on the ballot in 18 states as of March.
Several independent and third-party candidates have emerged in this election cycle, and voters have indicated that they were hoping for choices outside of Biden and Trump. Democratic strategists have warned that independent choices could upset Biden's chances of reelection, with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—a former Democrat who turned independent in October—posing the biggest threat of attracting Democratic voters.
What We Know
In a statement shared with Newsweek Thursday afternoon, No Labels said: "Americans remain more open to an independent presidential run ... than ever before.
"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," the statement read. "No such candidates emerged, so the responsible course of action is for us to stand down."
The group plans to continue building "momentum" and its work with members of Congress in the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group of 64 in the House of Representatives. No Labels also pushes to "remain engaged" during the remainder of the 2024 election, vowing to "call out both sides when they speak and act in bad faith."
"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 statement added.
Views
MoveOn, a progressive political action committee that has endorsed Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for 2024, released a statement shortly after reports surfaced that No Labels had backed out of the presidential campaign, calling it the "right thing to keep Donald Trump out of the White House."
"Now, it's time for Robert Kennedy Junior to see the writing on the wall that no third-party has a path forward to winning the presidency," MoveOn Executive Director Rahna Epting said in a statement shared with Newsweek. "We must come together to defeat the biggest threat to our democracy and country: Donald Trump."
Rick Wilson, co-founder of anti-Trump Republican group The Lincoln Project, also celebrated No Label's decision, saying in a video message shared to X, formerly Twitter, that the party's effort to put forth a candidate was "a gigantic waste of $70 million of Republican donor money."
"This is a net-positive for Joe Biden. We look at this as a very big up for the Biden campaign," Wilson continued. "Over to you now, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. You're next on the list of spoilers who need to be addressed politically in a way you're not accustomed to being addressed yet."
What's Next?
While Biden and Trump have secured enough delegates to ultimately be declared their respective parties' nominees, independents like Kennedy Jr. are still working to garner enough signatures to appear on state ballots in November. Kennedy has only been confirmed in Utah.
Update 04/04/24, 5:19 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional background and information.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Kaitlin Lewis is a Newsweek reporter on the Night Team based in Boston, Massachusetts. Her focus is reporting on national ... Read more
