by Mary Lou Masters
Democratic strategists and allies of President Joe Biden met with conservatives who oppose former President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. last week to fight the centrist group No Labels’ third-party ticket in 2024, according to The Washington Post.
No Labels has been planning to run a third-party “unity ticket” in the event of a rematch between Trump and Biden in 2024, as the organization believes the two men represent the most extreme ends of their respective parties. As No Labels continues their efforts to gain ballot access in key states, the June 6 meeting attendees worry that such a ticket could take away votes from Biden and enable Trump to win a second term, according to the Post.
“I see a group, under a catchy slogan that is misleading at best, saying that they have the country’s best interest at heart when the exercise will do nothing but elect Donald Trump,” Democratic National Committee (DNC) senior advisor and former co-chair of Biden’s 2020 campaign Cedric Richmond told the Post. “I am encouraged that a lot of people share the concern that this effort is dangerous.”
Along with Richmond, other Democrats like former Biden administration chief of staff Ron Klain, former Barack Obama campaign adviser Stephanie Cutter and former Democratic Sens. Doug Jones of Alabama, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Claire McCaskill of Missouri were present at the meeting, according to the Post. Members of the Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump organization, Weekly Standard founder Bill Kristol and former GOP consultant Lucy Caldwell also attended the meeting.
The attendees reviewed polling data that suggested a three-way general election between Trump, Biden and a No Labels candidate would result in a win for the former president, prompting discussion about efforts to curb the centrist group’s ticket, according to the Post. The attendees will push to inform donors and potential third-party candidates of the effect No Labels could have on 2024, while bolstering fundraising for their efforts.
No Labels will likely not run their third-party ticket for the general election if Trump isn’t the Republican nominee, with officials from the centrist group floating Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley as possible alternatives. The organization believes their only opening for success with a third-party candidate would be if Trump and Biden went head-to-head again in 2024, arguing their gap closes if another GOP contender secures the nomination.
Though the centrist group has yet to make a decision about who their third-party candidate will be, Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin has teased his candidacy, and No Labels national co-chair and former Maryland GOP Gov. Larry Hogan has left the door open for an independent bid for president.
The Real Clear Politics (RCP) averages for both Republican and Democratic primaries indicate that Trump is ahead by roughly 30 points, and Biden is leading the field with 62 percent.
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Mary Lou Masters is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Joe Biden” by Joe Biden.
