Manchin hints at third-party run, confident of victory.
Is No Labels Ready for a Political Showdown in 2024?
Senator Joe Manchin made waves at a No Labels event on Monday, hinting at a potential third-party presidential run. However, doubts remain about whether this self-proclaimed centrist group has the financial backing to mount a successful challenge in 2024.
Voters in the greater New Hampshire area gathered at St. Anselm’s College in Manchester for a question-and-answer session with Senator Joe Manchin and former Utah governor John Huntsman. Both politicians entertained the idea of running together on a “unity ticket” if they believed voters were dissatisfied with the options presented by the Democratic and Republican parties in 2024.
However, Manchin remained elusive about his own presidential ambitions, stating, “I’m not here running for president tonight. I’m not. I’m here trying to basically save the nation. I’m more concerned now than I’ve ever been concerned in my lifetime.”
The question of whether No Labels, which plans to announce its candidacy by Super Tuesday next year, has the necessary resources to challenge the two-party system remains unanswered. Despite claiming it would spend up to $70 million on a campaign, the group only had $10 million in assets at the end of 2021.
“We’re going to gain, as an insurance policy, ballot access,” said former North Carolina governor Pat McCrory at the start of the event.
As of June, No Labels has secured ballot access in just four states. The Arizona Democratic Party has even filed a lawsuit to remove No Labels from the 2024 ballot, with the litigation still ongoing.
Nevertheless, the possibility of No Labels offering voters a viable third option in 2024 has caused significant anxiety among many Democrats, who fear it could hand the election to former president Donald Trump. In an attempt to dissuade the group from proceeding, a group of veteran Democratic operatives and former White House staffers, including former chief of staff Ron Klain, met with No Labels last month.
Manchin and Huntsman dismissed these concerns, with Huntsman comparing the Democrats’ efforts to intimidate No Labels out of the race to tactics used by “China or Russia.”
“This is the latest talking point,” Huntsman said in response to a poll suggesting that a third party would draw more votes away from Biden than Trump. “The only element of American society that hasn’t been transformed … is politics.”
Throughout the town hall, Manchin and Huntsman discussed the issue of partisanship in Washington, D.C., highlighting how partisan gridlock and pandering to their respective bases have hindered efforts to address the nation’s record-high debt.
Manchin, who has yet to announce whether he will seek another Senate term, dismissed the Democrats’ concerns about his potential presidential run, stating that they are “putting the cart in front of the horse.” He also assured that if he were to enter the race, it wouldn’t cost President Biden anything.
”I’ve never spoiled a race,” he continued. “If I get into the race, I’m going to win.”
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