Members of No Labels, a third-party presidential movement, voted Friday to move forward with nominating a candidate for president.
Eight hundred delegates from 50 states, split between Republicans and Democrats, held the vote at a virtual meeting, ABC News reported.
“They take their responsibility seriously,” No Labels convention chair Mike Rawlings, a former Dallas mayor, said of the 800 delegates. “Even though we met virtually, their emotion and desire to bring this divided nation back together came right through the screen. I wasn’t sure exactly where No Labels delegates would land today, but they sent an unequivocal message: Keep going.”
The group leading the launch of a “unity ticket” plans to announce its candidate selection process on March 14. However, an official with No Labels told Politico it’s possible the group ultimately may not find a candidate.
No Labels has said for months that it would attempt to enter a candidate in the 2024 race if it became clear on Super Tuesday that President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump would be the respective Democratic and Republican nominees. The two walked away from the night with just one loss between them: GOP candidate Nikki Haley, who’s since suspended her campaign, carried Vermont.
“Voter sentiment has left a historic opening for a third choice, and No Labels has paved a road through that opening,” No Labels founder and CEO Nancy Jacobson wrote in an opinion piece for The Dallas Morning News last week. “Now we need an exceptional leader to take that road despite its hazards and challenges.”
“We believe this leader is out there, and we’ve already had conversations with several who could fit the bill,” Jacobson continued.
Among the group’s advisers is former Sen. Joe Lieberman (Conn.), who was the Democrats’ nominee for vice president alongside Al Gore in 2000.
Democrats have been critical of No Labels, whose potential candidate could spoil Biden’s reelection bid. In January, two Democrat-aligned groups filed campaign finance complaints about No Labels, saying the group is breaking campaign rules by not disclosing who its donors are.