No Labels has not yet decided who it would tap for its third-party presidential ticket next year even as one of its top contenders, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), announced he would not seek reelection in the Senate next year.
Machin's announcement raised eyebrows about whether the West Virginia Democrat could be eyeing a White House run, as he has long been floated as a candidate for the third-party group.
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No Labels commended Manchin for his tenure in the Senate shortly after his announcement on Thursday, lauding him as a "tireless voice for America's commonsense majority and a longtime ally of the No Labels movement." However, a spokesperson for No Labels told the Washington Examiner it wouldn't make a decision on who would top its bipartisan ticket in 2024, noting the group is still “gathering input” from voters on who "they would like to see in the White House.”
"The Senate will lose a great leader when he leaves, but we commend Senator Manchin for stepping up to lead a long overdue national conversation about solving America's biggest challenges, including inflation, an insecure border, out-of-control debt and growing threats from abroad," the group said in a statement. "As we have said from the beginning, we will make a decision by early 2024 about whether we will nominate a Unity presidential ticket and who will be on it."
> @NoLabelsOrg responds to Manchin not running for reelection; says group is still “gathering input” on who’d they pick for ticket and they’re working to “understand the kind of leaders they would like to see in the White House.”
— Cami Mondeaux (@cami_mondeaux) November 9, 2023
Manchin has long been rumored to be a contender pic.twitter.com/Cxs2fsgcUk
Manchin announced he would not be running for a second term in the Senate, leaving open a key seat considered one of the most competitive races next year. The West Virginia seat is deemed to be a toss-up, according to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, giving Republicans a chance to pick up the seat in Manchin's absence.
Before he announced his retirement, Manchin was often floated as a top contender for a third-party presidential ticket. Manchin has previously appeared at No Labels events to discuss the group's "Common Sense" policy agenda and has repeatedly hinted at pursuing other offices if he didn't run for reelection in the upper chamber.
No Labels has garnered national attention in recent months as it actively courts centrists in both parties who could make up a 2024 presidential “unity ticket” as an alternative to “divisive” candidates. The group has described these efforts as an “insurance policy” in the 2024 presidential election, vowing to drop its bid if either party manages to provide a candidate whom centrist voters can accept.
Specifically, the group said it would aim to provide an option for voters who don’t want to see President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump win the White House, meaning a possible rematch between the two could pave the way for a third-party ticket.
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Outside Democratic groups have pushed back on No Labels and its efforts for months, pointing to historical evidence showing third-party candidates typically do poorly in general elections. Others have argued a third-party ticket would provide a crucial boost to the GOP and open the door for Trump or a MAGA-aligned candidate to be elected.
However, No Labels pointed to the group’s polling that shows Biden losing to Trump in head-to-head matchups in several battleground states crucial to his victory in 2020, including Arizona and Georgia. When a third-party candidate is introduced in either of those states, support for both Biden and Trump diminishes, disproving the theory of a “spoiler candidate,” they said.