No Labels throws a coming out party, stoking Dem fears of a third … – POLITICO
Ive never been in any race Ive ever spoiled. Ive been in races to win. And if I get in the race, Im going to win, he said. With that being said, I havent made a decision.
Appearing alongside Manchin on Monday was Republican Jon Huntsman. The former Utah governor similarly dodged questions about whether he could be part of a unity presidential ticket.
The politicians mere presence in the first-in-the-nation primary state sent top New Hampshire Democrats from Rep. Annie Kuster on down scrambling to slam No Labels as a spoiler effort that could pave a path to potentially return to the White House.
Let me be clear: No Labels is trying to use a false message of unity to sow division, Kuster said in a statement. Their plan to run a third-party ticket in 2024 will pave the path for the most extreme, far-right candidate to win the White House namely, former President Trump.
On the same day as the No Labels event, a new group of prominent Democrats and Republicans including former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and former Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.) said it was launching a super PAC specifically to fight No Labels.
The group, Citizens to Save Our Republic, paired its launch with internal polling that suggested to them a No Labels candidate could tip the election in favor of Trump. That comes on top of public polling that shows many Republicans and Democrats alike arent thrilled with the idea of a Biden-Trump rematch.
[No Labels] is not a serious effort. But they do have potentially a very important role to play in swinging the election in battleground states, former Rep. Tom Downey (D-N.Y.), whos involved with Citizens to Save Our Republic, told POLITICO outside No Labels New Hampshire event.
If Trump is the candidate, Joe Biden will win, Downey said. And the only way that he will not win is if we have third-party candidates on different ballots in different states.
Pat McCrory, the former North Carolina governor who is working with No Labels, who introduced Manchin and who spoke on the groups behalf, dismissed the backlash as nothing more than operatives out of Washington, D.C., who want to just keep the status quo.
But Im telling you it wont work, McCrory said on stage, flanked by Joe Lieberman, the former Democratic U.S. senator turned independent, and civil rights leader Benjamin Chavis Jr., the groups national co-chair. Were going to get on the ballot.
McCrory echoed No Labels previous comments that a decision on whether to come forward with an actual presidential candidate wont come until after Super Tuesday.
He said he hopes it wont be necessary but that if by Super Tuesday we see the final two candidates as Trump and Biden, we will present a president and vice president ... if we see we have an opportunity to win.
If the choices are Trump and Biden, Thats not the choice we want, McCrory said.
Manchin brushed aside the counter-offensive against No Labels, saying everybody has their motive.
The business of politics is big business, Manchin told reporters after greeting some of the attendees packed into overflow rooms at Saint Anselm College. The politics in Washington is a better business model if they can keep you divided. Were trying to say: Hey boys, get off your high horse on the right and the left and come back together and lets do our job.
The fear erupting among many Democrats and Trump-critical Republicans is that just enough voters will be attracted to the idea of another option, even though that option stands little chance of winning the Electoral College vote. No Labels call for a centrist White House and consensus governing might have enough resonance with enough of the electorate to matter.
Such a threat has united disparate factions within the Democratic ranks. Rahna Epting, executive director of the progressive MoveOn PAC said Manchin should just say so and stop playing footsie with the dark money, MAGA funded No Labels.
And the centrist Third Way issued a one-pager saying No Labels, for all its attention to the national debt, does not have a single, serious idea of how to reduce it.
Its a reference to No Labels just-released Common Sense policy agenda, which is inspired by Thomas Paines famed pamphlet calling for independence from England in 1776. No Labels agenda calls for lawmakers to bring down healthcare costs, regain control of the nations borders and fix the criminal justice system so career criminals cant keep committing crimes.
Even in the room for the town hall on Monday, several Democrats were voicing concerns about the impact No Labels could have on the outcome in 2024.
It was interesting to see how many people came, said Thalia Floras, a New Hampshire Democrat. Im very concerned about a third party and I wanted to be here to listen to what they have to say.
In addition to Manchin and Huntsman, the No Labels event listed among participants former Republican Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan, former director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair and former South Carolina Rep. Joe Cunningham, whose name turned heads because he was recently endorsed by Biden for his bid to be South Carolinas Democrat governor.
POLITICO requested interviews with Cunningham and Huntsman. No Labels initially agreed to make them available but then pulled back, saying reporters could instead ask questions during a question-and-answer session for reporters with Manchin and Huntsman.
No Labels could be particularly damaging to Biden in New Hampshire, where the outside group could capitalize on both the states sizable share of independent voters and on Democrats anger over the presidents attempts to strip the state of its prized first primary.
Steve Shurtleff, a New Hampshire lawmaker and former state House speaker who supported Bidens 2020 bid but is now open to alternatives said the planets seem to be aligned for No Labels to make a serious play in the state.
I personally like Joe Biden. Ive always supported him. I was one of his presidential electors two years ago, Shurtleff said in an interview. But I wish he would step down and not run.
Asked after No Labels made its case in New Hampshire whether he would be open to supporting the groups presidential candidate, Shurtleff said: Depending on the ticket and poll numbers between Biden and Trump, yes I would.
Kathy Sullivan, a former Democratic National Committeeperson from New Hampshire, dismissed the idea that Democrats dissatisfied with Biden would flock to No Labels instead, saying the group has been around for a while and never taken off.
Most Democrats in New Hampshire are not happy with the situation with the [primary] calendar, Sullivan said. But to try to hurt the incumbent Democratic president because youre in a snit about something?
The problem for Democrats is that No Labels overtures might resonate with moderate Republicans and independents, too.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican who flirted with running for president before ultimately abandoning the idea, said No Labels has a shot at being viable.
Most of the country doesnt want either Trump or Biden, Sununu told reporters at the No Labels town hall. Theyre just trying to fill that void.
Mia McCarthy contributed to this report.
The rest is here:
No Labels throws a coming out party, stoking Dem fears of a third ... - POLITICO
- Dan Osborn spurns Democrats, other parties whose help he sought in Senate race Nebraska Examiner - Nebraska Examiner - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- House Democrats Have Overwhelmingly Voted Against Our Law Enforcement Officers - GOP.gov - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- Houston House Democratic primary gets uglier ahead of runoff - The Texas Tribune - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- Here's what to know about the May 23 Idaho Democratic presidential caucus Idaho Capital Sun - Idaho Capital Sun - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- With sagging polls, could Biden hurt Democrats in critical New York House races? - Spectrum News NY1 - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- Democratic filibuster of initiative petition bill exceeds 41 hours, sets new record Missouri Independent - Missouri Independent - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- Thousands of Philly Democrats wrote in names other than Biden during Pa. Primary, data shows - NBC Philadelphia - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- JESSE WATTERS: If Democrats are going to lock up Republicans, maybe they need a taste of their own medicine - Fox News - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- Attacked on abortion pivot, Hogan says 'we'll see if voters believe me' - The Washington Post - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- House Democrats launch probe of Trump's dinner with oil executives - The Washington Post - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- Outside money in Oregon swing district prompts claims of Republican meddling Oregon Capital Chronicle - Oregon Capital Chronicle - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- Democrats' Last Chance to Dump Biden? - WSJ - The Wall Street Journal - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- Democrats seek escape hatch on vote to force Biden's hand on Israel - Axios - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- Michigan Democrats want review of signatures submitted by GOP Senate candidates - Detroit Free Press - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- Opinion | Democrats could sweep the 2024 elections and make major policy changes - The Washington Post - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- Democrats face rupture over vote to force Israel arms shipments - Axios - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- Will Maryland's 'uncommitted' primary voters sway Biden administration on Gaza cease-fire? - Maryland Matters - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- Opinion | Can This Ex-Republican Revive Democrats in Rural Ohio? - The New York Times - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- Who is Angela Alsobrooks? The Maryland Democrat faces Larry Hogan this fall - NPR - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- Democrats look to band together after Maryland's bruising Senate primary - Yahoo News UK - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- Democratic Georgia Senate retirements open seats for first time in decades - The Atlanta Journal Constitution - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- Maryland Democrats battle for party's future and control of the Senate - NBC News - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- As House readies a vote on Israeli arms, Democrats whip members in opposition - Roll Call - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- Sixteen Democrats join Republicans to override Biden's halt on bomb transfers to Israel - Middle East Eye - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- Democrats Batter Bank Regulator Over F.D.I.C.'s 'Toxic' Workplace Culture - The New York Times - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- Virginia: Two Democrats vie for chance to take on Wittman - Richmond Times-Dispatch - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- Missouri Democrats' filibuster effort to make it harder to amend state constitution - NBC News - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- Democrats, Republicans say higher education is valuable - Inside Higher Ed - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- Fuel industry group targets Biden and Democrats in key states over emissions standards - NBC News - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- Johnson falls short with claim on Democrats backing of abortions up to the moment of birth - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - May 18th, 2024 [May 18th, 2024]
- 3 out of 5 NV congressional Democrats want to let the mining industry party like it's 1872 Nevada Current - Nevada Current - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- As co-rulers of the House, the Democratic majority-in-waiting may have already arrived - The Washington Post - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Speaker Mike Johnson Survives Marjorie Taylor Greene Move to Oust Him - The New York Times - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Ex-GOP Gov. Hogan is popular with some Maryland Democrats, but not enough to put him in the Senate - The Associated Press - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Saturday letters: Pitfalls of unaffiliated voting; 'gullible' Democrats - The Providence Journal - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Nervous about falling behind the GOP, Democrats are wrestling with how to use AI - The Associated Press - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- If Democrats choose the teachers unions, Hispanics will choose their families instead - The Hill - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Democrats seek to make GOP pay in November for threats to reproductive rights - CBS News - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Noting campus protests, Democrats are preparing for intense action at their summer convention - The Associated Press - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- 15 House Democrats call on Biden to take border executive action - CBS News - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Trump criticizes Jewish Democrats as he attacks Biden over threat to withhold U.S. weapons to Israel - NBC News - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- How Democrats Hope to Limit Protests at the DNC in Chicago - TIME - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Analysis | No, Democrats didn't vote to give noncitizens a voice in Congress - The Washington Post - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Inside the College Democrats' Rebuke of Biden - The New York Times - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- In the Arizona Senate Race, Ruben Gallego Shows Democrats What It Takes to Win Back Latinos - WSJ - The Wall Street Journal - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Democrats, Sensing Shift on Abortion Rights Among Latinas, Push for More Gains - The New York Times - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Ex-GOP Gov. Hogan is popular with some Maryland Democrats, but not enough to put him in the Senate - Bowling Green Daily News - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Why Democrats Are Suddenly Excited About Florida - TIME - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Illinois Democrats' law changing the choosing of legislative candidates faces GOP opposition - The Associated Press - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Democrats push Biden for executive action to secure border - The Hill - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Democrats oppose Senate plan to ensure Biden is on Ohio ballot, while House skips voting on a fix - The Statehouse News Bureau - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Division among Democrats as 26 party members pen letter to Biden condemning withholding Israel aid - The Jerusalem Post - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Democrats Impeached Trump Over This - WSJ - The Wall Street Journal - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Democrats save Mike Johnson | Latest US politics news from The Economist - The Economist - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Most Democrats believe Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza - poll - The Jerusalem Post - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- McCarthy says he couldnt live with himself if he did deal with Democrats to save Speakership - The Hill - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Democrats never expected this Senate primary to have such high stakes - Semafor - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Column: Expect campus uprisings to cause headaches for Democrats this election - Los Angeles Times - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Abortion rights activists worry about Democrats piggybacking on the cause: This is not a ploy - The Guardian US - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Democrats look to flip the script on border security as Republicans decry political stunt - Washington Examiner - May 11th, 2024 [May 11th, 2024]
- Rep. DeBoyer rips House Democrats for discarding measure that protects state from countries of concern - Mi House ... - Michigan House Republicans - May 9th, 2024 [May 9th, 2024]
- Democrats demand Biden take executive action on the border crisis - Fox Business - May 9th, 2024 [May 9th, 2024]
- Democrats prepare to go on offense on immigration in the coming weeks - NBC News - May 9th, 2024 [May 9th, 2024]
- Mike Johnson Becomes the Speaker of the Whole House. For Now. - The New York Times - May 9th, 2024 [May 9th, 2024]
- Democrats vote to prevent ouster of Republican US House speaker by right-wing rebel - FRANCE 24 English - May 9th, 2024 [May 9th, 2024]
- Video What are the odds Democrats will win the popular vote? - ABC News - May 9th, 2024 [May 9th, 2024]
- Exclusive | Democrats Brace for Gaza War Protests at Convention in Chicago - The Wall Street Journal - May 9th, 2024 [May 9th, 2024]
- Democrats Introduce Bill to Allow Medicaid Coverage of Doulas and Midwives - Truthout - May 9th, 2024 [May 9th, 2024]
- Democrats work to keep protests from disrupting Chicago convention, with concerns over parallels to 1968 - ABC News - May 9th, 2024 [May 9th, 2024]
- Majority of Democrats believe Israel is committing genocide - The New Arab - May 9th, 2024 [May 9th, 2024]
- Idaho Democratic Party doubles legislative candidate numbers in the face of GOP supermajority Idaho Capital Sun - Idaho Capital Sun - May 9th, 2024 [May 9th, 2024]
- Justice Sotomayor's health isn't the real problem for Democrats winning elections is - The Conversation - May 9th, 2024 [May 9th, 2024]
- Why Beethoven's ninth appeals to democrats and despots alike - The Economist - May 9th, 2024 [May 9th, 2024]
- Johnson Survives Greene's Ouster Attempt as Democrats Join GOP to Kill It - Yahoo! Voices - May 9th, 2024 [May 9th, 2024]
- Atlantic County Democrats want faster mailing of ballots - Press of Atlantic City - May 9th, 2024 [May 9th, 2024]
- Democrats impeached Trump for exactly what Biden is now doing to Israel - The Hill - May 9th, 2024 [May 9th, 2024]
- 163 House Democrats Voted to Protect Speaker Mike Johnson's Job - GV Wire - May 9th, 2024 [May 9th, 2024]
- Opinion | Trump Knows Dominance Wins. Someone Tell Democrats. - The New York Times - May 9th, 2024 [May 9th, 2024]
- 'Terrifying': Democrats say they have plans to keep electors safe from political violence - USA TODAY - May 9th, 2024 [May 9th, 2024]
- Democrats step up campaign to block third parties - WSWS - May 9th, 2024 [May 9th, 2024]