Dems And Anti-Trumpers Unite To Crush Surging Third Party Threat

Concurrently, reports indicate that Democratic strategists are joining forces with anti-Trump factions to quell this rising tide.

High-profile figures like Ron Klain, a former White House chief of staff, and Bill Kristol, a former Republican commentator and co-founder of the anti-Trump organization Defending Democracy Together, have been collaborating. According to the Washington Post, along with representatives from the Lincoln Project and others, they recently participated in a clandestine meeting aimed at curbing No Labels' influence in the political landscape.

A spokesperson for Third Way, the entity behind these secretive meetings, confirmed the event took place on June 6th to Fox News Digital. However, they remained tight-lipped on further specifics, citing a confidentiality agreement.

Fueling the aspirations of No Labels is a recent poll that suggests a quarter of voters would prefer an as-yet-unnamed potential candidate over the current frontrunners – incumbent President Biden and former President Trump. This is a year and a half ahead of the 2024 election day. "With one-in-four voters opting for an unnamed candidate, voters are disrupting the calculus that they will automatically vote for one of the two major party choices," said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center. The Suffolk poll also illuminated that approximately a third of voters within each party would prefer a different candidate to lead their ticket.

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June 17, 2023

The group is interpreting this data as indicative of an American populace ready for a candidate who eschews the extreme views of both major parties. "American voters' openness to an independent alternative in 2024 is unprecedented," said Ryan Clancy, the chief strategist for No Labels, speaking to Fox News Digital.

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Furthermore, Clancy posits that the poll likely underrepresents the true potential impact of a third-party candidate in the imminent presidential election. He draws attention to the fact that the survey shows 23% support for an "unnamed and completely undefined third party alternative against two specific candidates with 100% name ID." He suggests that a "moderate candidate" could garner even broader support once defined.

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However, co-founder of Third Way, Matt Bennett warns against overinterpreting these results, arguing that respondents often favor an unnamed, unaffiliated candidate in polls because they can project their preferred political figure into that role. "The overwhelming likelihood, therefore, is that the Suffolk numbers are a high water-mark for the third-party, because the minute a candidate is named, large segments of those respondents will opt out," Bennett commented.

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Although it is not yet clear who No Labels could propose as a third-party challenger in 2024, the group has previously expressed its disapproval of Trump as a candidate, and there is a persistent claim that a third-party candidate could inadvertently aid a potential Trump victory in a rematch of the 2020 election.

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Despite pushback from Democratic operatives and surrogates, who caution that an independent moderate candidate could siphon support from Biden, No Labels maintains that its "unity ticket" would draw equally from Republican and Democrat-leaning voters. They envisage a path to victory that involves securing electoral votes from swing states nationwide.

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Bennett and other political observers dismiss this as a far-fetched notion. "The notion that No Labels can win ANYWHERE, much less in the 25 states they claim they can carry, is the purest fantasy," he remarked.

Still, No Labels remains undeterred and committed to its ambitious plan. They have already secured ballot spots in Arizona, Colorado, Alaska, and Oregon, indicating their seriousness about fielding a potential candidate. The group plans to make the decision post the early primary contests. Currently, both parties continue to nominate candidates that most Americans are willing to vote for, including Trump and Biden, according to No Labels. Biden's advanced age and less-than-stellar approval ratings are cited as reasons why polls suggest a majority of Democrats would prefer a different nominee.

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"There are so many polls showing two thirds or more of Americans don't want a rematch of the 2020 election," Clancy said, suggesting this dissatisfaction with the status quo might lead to voters being more open to a third-party candidate. "It still hasn't registered with much of the political class in Washington just how dissatisfied the public is with their choices and just how much they desire something better," Clancy added.

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From No Labels' perspective, the 2024 election presents the most promising opportunity in recent memory for a non-partisan candidate to make a real impact. The group's chief strategist referred to the political landscape in 1992, the year of Ross Perot's impactful third-party run, stating that the present opening for such a candidate is much broader. "So it shouldn't surprise anyone that many Americans are open to voting for another choice if it's available in 2024," Clancy concluded.