After running up a series of high-profile rejections from potential candidates, No Labels is abandoning its efforts to field a 2024 presidential ticket, reports the Wall Street Journal. The centrist group announced the decision on Thursday after being rebuffed by contenders including Chris Christie, Nikki Haley, Joe Manchin, and former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan. The group had raised $60 million with the intention of fielding a candidate should Donald Trump and President Biden end up as their parties' nominees, per the New York Times.
"Today, No Labels is ending our effort to put forth a Unity ticket in the 2024 presidential election," Nancy Jacobson, the group's leader, said in a statement. "Americans remain more open to an independent presidential run and hungrier for unifying national leadership than ever before. But No Labels has always said 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 move also comes after the death of the group's founding chair, Joe Lieberman. (More No Labels stories.)