No Labels has apparently gone from giving voters an alternative to trying to find a way to block Donald Trump from winning this election.
To that point, the party was trying to lure in Chris Christie to run on its ticket, but the former Republican New Jersey governor has withdrawn his name from contention.
Talking Points…
- No Labels
- Christie takes his name out of contention
- Analysis
When No Labels was established, it was done with the idea that it would give voters an alternative ticket with moderate candidates. The organization's motto was "Not Left. Not Right. Forward." The party had a true moderate behind it in the late Senator Lieberman, but his passing left a significant hole and lost its name recognition with his passing.
In 2013, No Labels started the "Problem Solvers" caucus in Congress, and it sounded like a great way to get bipartisan legislation accomplished, but the Problem Solvers have lost their way. This caucus more or less got destroyed when Speaker Emeritus Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was removed as Speaker.
If you recall, McCarthy was pretty confident that the motion to vacate would not be successful, and reports at the time stated that was, in part, because there was an apparent deal in place by the members of the Problems Solvers caucus that the Democrat members would not vote to remove McCarthy. Then, Minority Leader Jeffries had a meeting, and the next thing you know, McCarthy was out because every Democrat and a handful of Republicans voted in favor of the motion.
The party seems to only want candidates who can draw votes away from Donald Trump. To that point, the party was lobbying to get former Governor Chris Christie on its ticket. Christie has been very vocal about Trump, and he still has a decent following in the GOP, enough that it would probably cost Trump the election if Christie ran.
No Labels has been struggling to lure in a candidate. At first, it was reported that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. might run, but No Labels said it did not want to be a spoiler for Biden. When that talk died down, Kennedy announced that he was running as an independent.
That led to No Labels reportedly courting Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.V.). Manchin had already announced that he would not be running for re-election, so he was fair game and perceived to be a moderate. During a panel discussion, Manchin got the rumors flying because he offered up a few possible VP selections, and they were all Republican moderates. That too wound up with no ticket, which left No Labels going after Christie.
Christie did an interview where it sounded as though he might be interested in running, so No Labels started to court him for its ticket. On Wednesday, however, Christie made it clear that he was not interested in running. He stated:
"I appreciate the encouragement I've gotten to pursue a third party candidacy. I believe we need a country that once again feels like everyone has a stake in what we're doing and leadership that strives to bring people together, instead of using anger to divide us.
"While I believe this is a conversation that needs to be had with the American people, I also believe that if there is not a pathway to win and if my candidacy in any way, shape or form would help Donald Trump become president again, then it is not the way forward."
Kennedy is doing reasonably well in polling, all things considered, and his running will definitely impact the election by drawing votes away from Joe Biden. I would expect No Labels to continue to court a Republican who does not support Trump to be atop its ticket to counter the Kennedy campaign.
Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-MT) has been fairly vocal that she will do whatever it takes to keep Trump out of the White House, so don't be surprised if she shows up on the No Labels ticket at the last minute. If she runs, she has enough support to draw a significant number of voters away from Trump, a percentage that could easily even out this race.
Cheney would only have to take a few points from Trump to hurt him in this election, and she knows that, so don't be surprised if she winds up on that No Labels ticket. We clearly need to continue to watch this because it could throw a massive wrench into the election for the Trump campaign and Republicans.
