No Labels said it’s not a third party. But the self-described "bipartisan" political group has plans to field a third candidate in the 2024 presidential race, in the event of a rematch between former president Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.
The group, which has helped to draft and advocate for across-the-aisle legislation since 2010, held its first town hall in New Hampshire Monday night.
Critics of the group said offering a third candidate could throw the race to Trump. That's because historically, third-party candidates can act as spoilers, siphoning votes from one major-party candidate to help the opposing major-party candidate win.
Mark Schauer is a former Democratic representative from Michigan who lives in Portage. He suggested that the group is not evenly bipartisan, with more support coming from the conservative side.
“This set of big Republican donors that seem to be backing No Labels, and what their agenda might be - if it's an anti-Donald Trump agenda - this is the wrong way to go about it in my view," said Schauer.
"Because, you know, research shows that this could - could - help Donald Trump actually get elected.”
No Labels claims it will pull back if it looks like its candidate’s participation could throw the race. The group’s website offers an “insurance policy” to voters and critics. It’s a promise that the effort won’t tip the scales.
Former West Michigan Congressman Fred Upton, a Republican, said he’s been involved with No Labels for eight years. He said the organization's own polling data shows two-thirds of Americans don’t want a Biden-Trump rematch in 2024, but he predicts that is the direction the parties are headed.
“Here in Michigan, of course, every Republican member of Congress has endorsed Donald Trump in the primary. And that was expected, I guess you could say. But we think that there might be a better choice that's out there," Upton said.
The group says it's focused on moving the major parties back to the center by fighting what it describes as extremes on both sides. Upton said if the organization cannot move the party away from Trump in particular, it won’t help elect him either.
“It's not going to be a spoiler effort. And we have until August of ‘24, to actually pull back if we thought we would be a spoiler or if we, if we can't win. But in the meantime, like a Boy Scout, we're going to be prepared.”
That means getting on the ballot in all 50 states. With five down, No Labels has 45 left, including Michigan.
Upton said the organization needs 47,000 signatures and in-state funding to be on the ballot in Michigan. It plans to wait to gather those signatures until after its nominating convention in Dallas in April.
Upton was at Monday’s Common Sense Town Hall. He said he supports No Labels, but won’t be on the ticket.
