Officials on Wednesday announced the creation of a super political action committee (PAC) in support of a potential third-party “unity ticket” organized by No Labels.
The group, New Leaders 2024, is being led by two Republican strategists and one Democratic strategist. While No Labels has yet to officially announce whether it will pick a candidate for a White House run, the group has secured ballot access in 13 states so far and expects to gain access in several more in the coming months.
“New Leaders 2024 is being formed to support the election of a No Labels Unity Ticket, should one be named in the coming weeks,” the group’s leaders said in a statement.
“Most Americans clearly believe a Biden vs Trump rematch fails to offer them a choice that fulfills the full promise of a healthy Democracy. The people are demanding another option,” they added.
The group will be led by Kathleen Shanahan, who previously served as chief of staff to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) and worked as an aide to former President George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney.
Andrew Fishman, president of Schonfeld Strategic Advisors and a Democrat, will serve as the super PAC’s treasurer.
And GOP strategist Rob Stutzman, who previously worked for former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), will advise the super PAC.
“A Unity Ticket is the innovation our Democracy needs in today’s broken political dynamic,” the three officials said in a statement. “Entrenched institutional interests will continue to howl in protest about a Unity Ticket, but these protests will be brought by the same partisan adherents that have stood by, or worse overseen, the selection of their deeply flawed likely party nominees.”
The New York Times reported the group has $2 million in initial commitments but expects to raise up to $300 million if No Labels puts forward a viable ticket.
No Labels has for months been gathering information about the viability of a so-called “unity ticket” in next year’s presidential race.
In a December briefing with reporters, No Labels officials argued there is a path for such a ticket to win 25 states representing 286 electoral votes. The group cited modeling that showed 34 percent of voters would back a unity ticket in a race between President Biden and former President Trump.
No Labels officials said they don’t plan to decide whether to unveil a ticket and go forward with the effort until after Super Tuesday in March, at which point it will become clearer if the match-up will be Trump vs. Biden.
Critics of No Labels argue a “unity ticket” stands no chance of getting the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House and would disproportionately pull votes away from Biden, effectively handing Trump the presidency.
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) last November called the group “perilous to our democracy.”