March 8 (UPI) — In a Friday No Labels virtual delegate meeting, the group decided to continue plans to run a ticket against President Joe Biden and Donald Trump in November, even though they don’t have any candidates.
No ticket was announced at the meeting.
“They voted near unanimously to continue our 2024 project and to move immediately to identify candidates to serve on the Unity presidential ticket,” No Labels convention chairman Mike Rawlings said. “Every one of our delegates had their own explanation for wanting to move ahead.”
Rawlings said they have to make sure they have a ticket “that we can see a pathway to the White House to win.”
The group tried to keep its virtual delegate meeting secret.
No Labels Vice President Sam Brooks emailed delegates telling them the meeting was “strictly off the record and for delegates only,” according to an email obtained by Politico.
The group describes itself as centrist, but Democrats supporting President Joe Biden deride the group as a stalking horse for Donald Trump, believing they have the potential to damage Biden’s prospects while the net effect would be to help Trump get back into the Oval Office.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said in February he won’t run on the No Labels ticket, and former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is running for the Senate.
According to Rawlings, No Labels will make a final decision on whether to field a third-party presidential ticket after March 14 but no later than early April.
