No Labels says it will not launch presidential ticket to challenge Joe Biden and Donald Trump

WASHINGTON – The centrist, nonprofit group No Labels said Thursday it will not field a third-party candidate to challenge President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, a decision that could benefit Biden.

"Today, No Labels is ending our effort to put forth a Unity ticket in the 2024 presidential election," the organization said in a statement.

The group for months said it was searching for candidates to appear on a potential "unity" bid in the November election, particularly as Biden and Trump inched toward a 2020 rematch. No Labels asked several prominent lawmakers to lead their presidential ticket, particularly Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.

Biden allies and some Republicans had criticized the No Labels effort, saying a third-party campaign could draw moderate votes away from Biden and boost Trump's reelection chances.

Some political organizers say independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., could have a similar anti-Biden effect on the fall election.

"Millions of Americans are relieved that No Labels finally decided to do the right thing to keep Donald Trump out of the White House," said Rahna Epting, executive director of MoveOn Political Action. "Now, it’s time for Robert Kennedy Junior to see the writing on the wall that no third-party has a path forward to winning the presidency."

Kennedy has dismissed the concerns as he has continued his White House bid. But Republican organizers have set off alarms about Kennedy drawing votes away from Trump too. Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for the former president, last year called the third-party hopeful someone “who pretends to have conservative values."

The Biden campaign did not comment on the No Labels decision.

The Trump campaign also had little to say. Senior adviser Jason Miller did offer a brief comment on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, sarcastically calling the news "sad."

In its announcement Thursday, No Labels said it always felt that "we would only offer our ballot line to a ticket if we could identify candidates with a credible path to winning the White House. No such candidates emerged, so the responsible course of action is for us to stand down."

The organization vowed to continue its battle against polarized politics in America: "No Labels will build on the momentum we have gained over the last year to continue representing unity and giving voice to America’s commonsense majority."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No Labels says it will not challenge Joe Biden and Donald Trump