No Labels Party qualifies for Arizona ballot in 2024

A centrist political party that has some Democrats concerned about the potential for it to play a spoiler role has made the ballot in Arizona in 2024. 

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D) said in a statement on Tuesday that the No Labels Party surpassed the minimum requirement for signatures to be placed on a ballot and has qualified as a party for federal, statewide and legislative races in the 2024 primaries and general elections in the state. 

“As Secretary of State, I am committed to supporting county election officials to ensure that they are prepared for this new addition to the state’s list of parties and any other changes to the 2024 ballot,” he said. 

The Democratic think tank Third Way criticized No Labels in a memo released earlier on Tuesday, insisting that it would only play a spoiler for Democratic candidates and does not have a conceivable way to win an election. 

The memo, which was first reported by Politico, states that No Labels’ plan to put forward a “unity ticket” in the 2024 presidential election would only lead to former President Trump being reelected. It states that the group is “serious,” as it is also seeking to make the ballot in other battleground states like North Carolina, Florida and Nevada and has already made the ballot in Colorado. 

No Labels said on its website that the unity ticket would be an “insurance plan” if Democrats and Republicans both choose “unreasonably divisive” presidential nominees. 

The memo notes that most of the states No Labels includes as part of its path to victory in the 2024 presidential election voted for President Biden in 2020. 

The Hill has reached out to No Labels for comment. 

Arizona Democrats could already be facing a divided electorate for its 2024 Senate race following Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s (I) decision in December to leave the Democratic Party. She said at the time that the move would “provide a place of belonging” for people across the country and state who are tired of partisanship and is a reflection of who she is. 

Sinema has not officially said whether she will run for reelection in 2024, but Rep. Reuben Gallego (D-Ariz.) has declared his candidacy for the Senate seat. Gallego has been a critic of Sinema well before Sinema’s decision to leave the party, and would be running to her left if she chooses to run too. 

Some early polling of hypothetical three-person matchups with Gallego, Sinema and a Republican candidate have shown Gallego leading by several points. 

Politico reported that a national Democratic strategist said party operatives are feeling “agita” about the potential effect of No Labels, but “no one knows how real it is yet, though.” 

No Labels told Politico that its polling has shown that its ticket would gather support from both parties equally. It said it would not put forward its own candidate but make sure a “launching pad” exists for a third-party candidate if both the Democratic and Republican candidates are not appealing.