As the 2024 presidential race between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump looms, centrist group No Labels is preparing for a possible third-party unity ticket. In response to public polling that indicates Americans are dissatisfied with the likely major party nominees, the group intends to offer voters another viable choice.
No Labels’ chief strategist, Ryan Clancy, explained that the organization is “doing a lot of dialogue with our members across the country to get a better sense of the kind of candidates, the specific candidates that people would want to see on the ticket”.
Although No Labels has not yet made a final determination about whether a Republican or Democrat would be better suited at the top of their potential ticket, Clancy cited over the summer polling that found a unity ticket would have a better chance of winning. Clancy added that the group is planning to conduct more polling before deciding the exact composition of the potential ticket. Right now, No Labels’ priority is getting on the ballot. While the group is on the ballot in 14 states and currently working in 13 others, it aims to have ballot access in 32 states by the end of this year.
Former Senator Joe Lieberman, the founding chairman and co-chair of No Labels, emphasized the importance of getting on the ballot during a news conference. “Our focus had to be on getting on the ballots in all 50 states. Because if we didn’t do that, there’s no option to run candidates. So, that’s what we’re doing now,” said Lieberman, who was the 2000 Democratic vice-presidential nominee and won his last Senate election in 2006 as an independent.
For No Labels, a third-party unity ticket appears to make sense in light of the public’s dissatisfaction with Biden and Trump. “We’re responding to a clear demand from American voters. The vast majority of them aren’t happy with the likely major party nominees,” Clancy said. The group believes that a third-party ticket could provide Americans with a viable alternative and has received support from a range of public polling.
No Labels is expected to release news about potential candidates in the coming months. And with voter satisfaction at an all-time low, it remains to be seen whether a unity ticket can secure enough support to seriously challenge the major party candidates in the 2024 presidential race.
