‘No Labels’ Party Still Seeking 2024 Presidential Candidate

Super Tuesday has come and gone, but there is at least one political party planning its entry into the fray.

The third-party group known as No Labels, which prides itself on including voices from across the ideological spectrum, has been teasing a possible foray into the 2024 presidential election. Thus far, however, none of its likeliest candidates have agreed to mount a White House bid.

Reports this week indicated that hundreds of No Labels delegates were expected to take part in a meeting to discuss the issues at hand and vote to officially launch a campaign.

“We expect our delegates to encourage the process to continue,” explained senior strategist Ryan Clancy, who declined to offer specifics about the timing or scope of the upcoming meeting. 

There had been some speculation that former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who dropped out of the GOP presidential primary race earlier this week, would be considered as the No Labels candidate, although she shot down such speculation.

Prior to the Super Tuesday primaries that resulted in her second and final victory before she suspended her campaign, Haley reiterated that she identified as “a conservative Republican” and had no intention of running under any other party’s designation.

“I have said many, many times, I would not run as an independent,” she said. “I would not run as No Labels because I am a Republican, and that’s who I’ve always been. That’s what I’m going to do. And so that’s my focus.”

Several other potential candidates have similarly rejected the notion of aligning with a No Labels campaign, perhaps most notably U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV).

After announcing his retirement from Congress at the end of the current term, the West Virginia Democrat was widely considered an optimal choice to lead a bipartisan ticket and even hinted that he might consider teaming up with U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), who is also stepping down after his current term ends. 

In the end, however, he rejected a presidential bid and issued a warning to the No Labels group.

“They need to take a hard look,” he said, adding that a third-party campaign could “basically work as a spoiler.”