Democrats Try to Disempower No Labels

Written by Anthony Constantini

What’s happening: No Labels, a centrist group attempting to gain ballot access in all 50 states for a moderate presidential ticket, is under attack by Democrats concerned that it could usurp votes from Joe Biden this November.

Catch up: No Labels has attained some success, most notably the formation of the bipartisan “Problem Solvers Caucus” in the House of Representatives. But this is the first time the group has made a serious effort to run a presidential ticket; it gained ballot access in 14 states, so far.

Why it matters: Donald Trump lost the 2020 election by a mere 45,000 votes. If No Labels runs a third-party candidate who can siphon even a couple of percentage points from Joe Biden, it could help return Trump to the White House.

Democrats are fretting: Nancy Pelosi called the group “perilous” and implied that it was a GOP plot. Biden remarked that No Labels’s presence on the ballot would “help the other guy.”

And they’re acting: One Democrat pollster divulged that efforts are underway “to take them down.” Democrat-aligned groups filed a complaint demanding that No Labels register as a political party, which would limit funding under the law. And donors who gave money years ago are suing over the group’s potential plan to run a presidential candidate.

Defending themselves: These moves came days after No Labels filed an election interference complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The complaint alleges that Democrats and left-leaning groups such as the Lincoln Project have been trying to dissuade people from working with No Labels.