Shadowy Political Group Raises Alarms Over A ‘Spoiler’ 2024 Presidential Candidate

Topline

Third-party centrist political group No Labels continues to rattle members of both parties who fear it could sway the presidential election.

MANCHESTER, NH – JULY, 17: Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) was co-headliner alongside former Utah … [+] governor Jon Huntsman (R) at the ‘Common Sense’ Town Hall, an event sponsored by the bipartisan group No Labels, held on Monday evening, July 17, 2023 at St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire. The organization is looking for a potential ‘unity’ ticket for 2024, although Manchin has not announced whether he is seeking reelection for his Senate seat and has not ruled out a 2024 White House bid. Huntsman finished third in the New Hampshire presidential primary in 2012 behind then frontrunner and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (R) and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX). John Tully for The Washington Post via Getty Images

The Washington Post via Getty Images

Key Facts

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) teased a presidential run at a No Labels event in key primary state New Hampshire on Monday, though he said he had no intention of running in the 2024 presidential election to spoil a race for another candidate, only that he would run if he thought he could win.

Former Utah Republican Gov. John Hunstman also appeared at the event on Monday and refused to rule out a presidential run of his own—but both he and Manchin expressed the need for a more centrist political movement to counter what they described as extreme polarization between the Republican and Democratic parties.

Meanwhile, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have raised concerns No Labels could present a third-party candidate that could siphon votes from either party’s 2024 presidential nominee and skew the results of the presidential election.

No Labels founder and CEO Nancy Jacobson, who worked for the Clintons and the Democratic Party before launching the group in 2010, told NBC News the group would shut down its efforts if there was any indication it could propel former President Donald Trump to win the White House—but she declined to offer details on how the group will select a candidate or where it’s money comes from.

While some Republicans have also voiced concerns about the group, Democrats have been particularly vocal about the threat it poses to the candidacy of President Joe Biden, who is facing discouraging poll numbers that show the majority of Democrats do not want him to run for re-election, amid concerns about his age.

A group of prominent Republicans and Democrats, led by former Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.), launched a super PAC called Citizens to Save Our Republic, on Monday with the goal of fighting No Labels’ efforts to run a third-party candidate.

Crucial Quote

“Let me be clear: No Labels is trying to use a false message of unity to sow division,” Rep. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.) said in a statement Monday. “Their plan to run a third-party ticket in 2024 will pave the path for the most extreme, far-right candidate to win the White House — namely, former President Trump.”

Chief Critic

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) accused No Labels of being a “dark money” political group in a CNN interview on Sunday. The criticism comes after the Arizona Democratic Party filed a complaint last week with the secretary of state’s office asking it to compel the group to register and report its donors as a political party.

Contra

No Labels is registered as a political party, but is incorporated as a social welfare nonprofit, according to NBC, which allows it to skirt federal financial disclosure rules for political organizations. Jacobson told the network the group intends to simply lend its name to a single presidential candidate, not operate a campaign or support other down-ballot candidates. Jacobson insisted “there’s nothing nefarious going on here,” and defended the group by noting the list of big-name political figures affiliated with it, including former Democrat-turned-independent Sen. Joe Lieberman, who co-founded the group.

Big Number

40%. That’s the share of voters who would cast their ballots for Trump in a three-way matchup with Biden and a third-party No Labels candidate, according to internal polling from Citizens to Save Our Republic —with 39% voting for Biden and 21% would vote for a No Labels candidate.

What We Don’t Know

Who No Labels will back as a candidate for the 2024 presidential election. In addition to Huntsman and Manchin, businessman Mark Cuban has had conversations with the group and praised its efforts in a recent NBC interview, but ruled out a third-party candidacy of his own. “I like that they are trying a new path. I think the two-party system is broken,” he said. No Labels will hold a convention to select a candidate in Dallas in April, but will not participate in primaries or caucuses, Jacobson told NBC. The group will assess its prospects after Super Tuesday and make a decision on which candidate to run, No Labels national co-chair former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCroy (R) told CNN.

Key Background

Manchin, who has yet to announce whether he’ll seek re-election to the Senate next year, has said he would make a decision about a presidential run by the end of the year. Democrats have publicly criticized Manchin for toying with a presidential run. But some have also predicted he is fanning the flames as a tool to negotiate his centrist priorities and send a message to voters in West Virginia that he is not beholden to the Democratic party. As the state has increasingly turned red and Manchin has faced declining poll numbers over his support of some of Biden’s signature policies, Manchin has attempted to water down some of those initiatives, including by threatening to vote to repeal Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. He described his involvement with No Labels as an effort to promote “centrist” and “commonsense” policy in Washington. “We’re here to make sure the American people have an option,” he told the crowd at the No Labels event in New Hampshire on Monday.