GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie last weekend described the third-party effort from the No Labels group as a “fool’s errand,” The Hill reported.
Founded in 2010, No Labels describes itself as a movement for Americans who believe in “bringing our leaders together to solve our toughest problems.”
Over the last few months, the No Labels movement, which claims to represent the “commonsense majority,” has been picking up steam.
With the prospect of a rematch between the deeply unpopular candidates Joe Biden and Donald Trump, the nonpartisan group has been considering a “unity ticket” to challenge them in 2024.
There has been some speculation that “moderate” Democrat Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia could be the favored No Labels presidential candidate. Manchin, who is up for reelection in 2024, still has not announced that he will seek another term in the Senate.
While appearing on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, Chris Christie dismissed the No Labels movement, telling host George Stephanopoulos that only the Democrat or Republican nominee has a chance of winning the White House in 2024.
The former New Jersey governor said he would not participate in the No Labels third-party scheme, which he described as a “scattershot approach.”
Traditionally, the No Labels movement has attracted politicians who consider themselves centrist, particularly those who frequently criticize their party leadership. But Christie criticized the No Labels mission, saying that third-party campaigns for the White House have a history of backfiring, or at the least, proving unsuccessful.
Christie suggested that the No Labels group is trying to hurt Donald Trump’s chances if he wins the GOP nomination, but warned that the group’s scheme may not go according to plan.
He said much like Ross Perot in 1992 and Ralph Nader in 2004, “You never quite know who you’re going to hurt in that process.”
