Devendra Kumar
The No Labels group, a bipartisan organization, has abandoned its plans to field a presidential candidate in the 2024 election. Despite its efforts to organize, no candidate was willing to seize the opportunity to capitalize on the widespread dissatisfaction with President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. No Labels had been considering nominating a “unity ticket,” featuring a presidential candidate from one major party and a vice presidential candidate from the other, to appeal to voters who are disenchanted with both Biden and Trump.
The group’s decision to stand down comes months after its delegates overwhelmingly voted to move forward with the process of creating a bipartisan presidential and vice presidential ticket. However, many Democratic and Republican candidates, including former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, Senator Joe Manchin, and former governor Larry Hogan, rejected the group’s offer. Even former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, a Republican candidate for president in 2024, ruled out running under the No Labels banner.
No Labels had raised tens of millions of dollars from a secret donor list, which raised questions about the group’s motivations and effectiveness. Biden supporters had been critical of the group’s lack of transparency, as they had not disclosed much about its decision-making process or its donors. There were also concerns that No Labels would siphon votes away from the president in battleground states.
The group’s failure to attract a viable candidate means that a general election rematch between Biden and Trump is all but certain. This outcome is a disappointing conclusion to the efforts of the No Labels group, which aimed to address the widespread dissatisfaction with both politicians.