(IntegrityTimes.com) – Following West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin’s decision to forgo a third-party presidential run, the group No Labels has gone back to the drawing board. Manchin has been affiliated with the group for over 12 years and was undoubtedly its top pick to put on the ballot as a “unity candidate” third-party choice. The group is determined to secure ballot access in all 50 states and has been successful in 16 thus far. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., who serves as the group’s national co-chair, recently appeared on MSNBC to discuss Manchin’s decision. He said that the group would announce if it would be moving forward with a ticket “in the next couple of weeks or more.”
Democrats have raised concerns that No Labels would pull votes away from President Biden, but Chavis made clear that it was not the intention of the group. He argued that previous polling showed that most Americans do not want to see Biden and Trump run against each other again. Senator Manchin also made waves on February 20 when he told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, “I’m not endorsing anybody, right now,” when asked if he was planning to endorse Biden. He argued that most Americans fall in the centrist category and that people do not want the extremes on either side. He said that his goal was to spread the message across the country and advocate for both political parties to move back toward the middle.
Collins asked Manchin what he would do if Trump and Biden were the only candidates on the general election ballot. Manchin responded by telling Collins that there was still plenty of time for another candidate to make it on the ballot, whether it be an Independent candidate or a candidate for No Labels.
Some Democratic groups have filed complaints with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) to find out the group’s major donors. It is currently registered as a nonprofit organization with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). However, it could be forced to register as a political party with the FEC if the Democratic groups’ complaints are successful.
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