Back in January, when everyone thought that the No Labels Party was something real and important, the group announced that they were going to raise $300 million. They also claimed that they would decide on whether they'd field a presidential candidate after Super Tuesday.
No Labels has said a lot of things over the last year. They said that if their third-party candidate would give the election to Donald Trump, they'd back off. They said they'd only field a candidate if they thought they had a chance of winning. They said they'd be on the ballot in 27 states by the first of the year. They made it onto 17.
No Labels has no chance to win in 2024 and if they enter a ticket in the race, it will likely hand the election to Donald Trump. There's no sign of the $300 million they were going to raise. And most importantly, they can't find anyone to run on a No Labels ticket.
Twelve candidates have been asked and twelve have turned down the opportunity to run. The list of middling luminaries includes former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, and most recently, former Georgia Lieutenant Gov. Geoff Duncan, all Republicans. Retiring Democratic West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin also said he wasn’t interested.
Related: Radical Groups Pledge a Billion Dollars to Biden's Campaign
The reasons for turning No Labels down are many. But of primary concern for these politicians is that the organization has failed to create a credible nonpartisan presidential ticket.
At this point, the only candidate No Labels is going to attract is a vanity candidate who makes the run for president because he likes seeing himself on TV.
It isn’t just that No Labels can’t find any credible politician willing to give them the time of day. The party’s long list of rejections undercuts CEO Nancy Jacobson’s core argument that American voters are crying out for an alternative to Biden and Trump. If that were the case, No Labels would certainly be able to produce convincing polling on the subject. So far, none of the numbers the group has come up with have convinced a single politician to give a unity ticket a try.
That was the case this week when former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan formally declined No Labels’ increasingly desperate courtship.
Indeed, America and I are crying out for an alternative to Biden and Trump. But no one is crying out for a choice outside of the Republican/Democratic universe. Voting for president is the most personal political decision that a voter makes, and that means that a voter has to be comfortable with the candidate. It's hard to feel comfortable with a candidate who steps outside the two-party structure.
Related: Republicans Look to Deliver Body Blow to Biden With Afghan Withdrawal Hearing
No Labels co-chair, former Sen. Joe Lieberman, doesn't sound very optimistic about the chances that No Labels will field a ticket“I believe it is going to happen,” Lieberman said in an interview Tuesday, but added, “It’s possible — it’s happened before — we won’t be able to find candidates.”
Right before our eyes, No Labels is melting down, and it's not a pretty sight.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member