Meet ‘No Labels,’ a minor party that could appear on your 2024 ballot
In the 2024 presidential election, Nevadans can vote for a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian or Independent — or perhaps another candidate who doesn’t really fit one of those molds.
Meet No Labels, a group calling itself the “commonsense majority” that recently qualified to appear on Nevada’s ballot as a minor party.
“This is another great example of democracy in action and now Nevadans will have an additional choice for President and Vice President in 2024 if they want it,” said the group’s chief strategist, Ryan Clancy, in an email.
The Nevada secretary of state’s office sent a letter to No Labels Nevada last week to alert it that it qualifies as a minor party, marking the first time a minor party gained ballot access since around 1975, according to the office.
No Labels qualified after the secretary of state’s office found that the group obtained more than 19,000 valid signatures between the four petition districts, according to the letter the state elections office sent to the group, which now qualifies to appear on multiple state ballots.
The centrist nonprofit organization formed in 2009 as the brainchild of founding Chairman and former Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, a Democrat-turned-independent, and Nancy Jacobson, a political activist who serves as CEO.
It targets people who are feeling “politically homeless” and “tired of the extremes on the left and the right,” according to its website.
In March, No Labels released a poll it commissioned that showed people feeling the same way — dissatisfied with both candidates. A poll from The New York Times and Siena College released Aug. 1 showed that Biden and Trump are neck-in-neck in a hypothetical rematch. Forty-one percent of registered voters have a favorable view of Trump, and Biden’s approval rating is at 39 percent, according to The New York Times.
“Right now, most of the country is historically dissatisfied with their choices of candidates, with the direction of the country, with the economy and with future opportunities for their children,” Clancy said. “No Labels is working to provide another option for Nevadans who want another choice in 2024.”
When asked for a comment about No Labels, Nevada State Democratic Party Executive Director Hilary Barrett said President Joe Biden and all of Nevada’s Democratic incumbents are well-positioned to win nonpartisan voters. She pointed to their records of bipartisanship accomplishments, such as lowering prescription drug costs and bringing chip manufacturing back to the United States.
The Nevada Republican Party did not return requests for comment, but the chairman of the party, Michael McDonald, previously told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he believes the Republican Party has a winning message that will appeal to nonpartisan voters.
Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on Twitter.
