The 2024 presidential ballot is all but set as a rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, with time running out for any viable third-party candidate to make their entrance into the race.
That increases pressure on the prominent No Labels group, which has long viewed Super Tuesday as the date at which it will decide on whether to launch a ticket.
No Labels is set to hold its next delegate meeting on Friday afternoon, after which the group is likely to announce a decision on its next steps. The meeting is expected to feature 800 delegates from all 50 states to “speak freely and honestly about the path ahead for our 2024 project,” according to chief strategist Ryan Clancy.
“We have said for months that our movement plans to regroup shortly after Super Tuesday to evaluate the status of our 2024 project and that remains the plan,” Clancy said in a statement. “Candidates will not be chosen for the Unity ticket during this meeting and it will not be open to the press.”
The meeting comes as No Labels faces a make-or-break moment in the 2024 cycle. The group has long said it would only move forward with a third-party ticket in the case of a Trump-Biden rematch and only if there were a path forward for success.
However, some donors have expressed concerns in recent weeks that the group has missed its window to enter the race, especially after the bulk of states have already conducted their primary elections. Those concerns only began to grow last month after two of the group’s top contenders, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, both said they would not run for president.
The meeting comes after 15 states held their primaries on Super Tuesday, marking the biggest election night of the 2024 cycle. The contests all but guaranteed both Biden and Trump to secure their parties’ nominations, beginning the general election cycle in earnest. Following Tuesday night, Trump’s last remaining GOP challenger, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, dropped out.
No Labels has garnered criticism from some Democrats who argue a third-party ticket would spoil the election for Biden by siphoning votes away from the incumbent and handing the White House to Trump. Outside Democratic groups have pointed to historical evidence showing third-party candidates typically do poorly in general elections.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The group has repeatedly rejected those claims, citing internal polling that shows a third-party candidate would pull support from both Biden and Trump rather than tilting the odds in one’s favor.
It is not yet clear who the group would choose as its third-party ticket should it move forward with an alternative bid, nor is it clear when No Labels would announce its candidates.