Des Moines— No Labels, a third-party presidential movement, announced its 2024 presidential candidate Friday after months of considering a “unity ticket” and talking to numerous candidates. Mike Rawlings, a former Dallas mayor and No Labels member, said 800 delegates from every state decided to proceed online.
No Labels was unlikely to nominate presidential and vice presidential candidates Friday. Rawlings stated that the group will disclose their candidate selection procedure on March 14. “Even though we met virtually, their emotion and desire to bring this divided nation back together came through the screen,” Rawlings, Friday's convention chair, wrote.
Many would-be candidates have already declined, including former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who suspended her campaign for the Republican presidential nomination after Super Tuesday's GOP primary map favored Trump. Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan considered running for president under the No Labels banner but now wants the Republican Senate nomination. West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, who is retiring, will not run for president.
Trump and Democratic President Joe Biden's Super Tuesday victories nearly assured a 2020 rematch in November. Polls show many Americans dislike Biden or Trump, which No Labels sees as an opportunity to run a nonpartisan ticket.
Biden supporters worry No Labels will steal votes from the president in battleground areas and criticize the group's lack of transparency and decision-making. A Democratic-aligned MoveOn executive director suggested a No Labels ticket would help Trump win.
Any candidates who join the No Labels presidential ticket will help Donald Trump and MAGA extremists win a second term in the White House," Executive Director Rahna Epting wrote. Third Way, another Democratic group that opposes No Labels, emphasized that No Labels was pushing forward without a candidate.
Time and again, voters, candidates, and election experts have told No Labels that a third-party presidential ticket can’t win and would help Trump,” Third Way Executive Vice President Matt Bennett wrote.
No Labels considered offering a ticket to voters dissatisfied with Biden and Trump. The group's strategists say they'll support a bipartisan ticket with a presidential contender from one major party and a vice presidential nominee from the other if they see a winning path.
Group executives have claimed they are talking to many applicants but have not named them. No Labels has raised money from anonymous donors, including former Republican donors dissatisfied with the party's direction under Trump, and tried to win ballot access in every state.
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