(From L to R ) Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. (Photo: The Chavis Chronicles/PBS)/No Labels Chief Strategist Ryan Clancy (Photo: https://www.nolabels.org/meettheteam2022)/No Labels Co-Executive Director Margaret White (Photo: https://www.nolabels.org/meettheteam2022)/John Bryant in Davos, Switzerland, Feb. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Alessandro Della Bella)/
The No Labels political organization continues to grow and is wielding its power. The bi-partisan group has also gotten the backing of Black American notables. But is this a good move?
Established in 2010, No Labels is a political organization supporting centrist, bi-partisan policies and politics. It is a registered non-profit and does not disclose its donors. But as of March 2023, it is a registered political party in Arizona, Colorado, and Oregon.
Former Democratic fundraiser Nancy Jacobson launched the group, attracting billionaires Michael Bloomberg and Andrew Tisch were as initial prominent supporters. In 2017, the group helped to start the Problem Solvers Caucus in the House of Representatives, a bipartisan group of 58 congresspeople that has backed issues such as funding for infrastructure, criminal justice reform, and gun safety in schools.
On the group’s website, iconic civil rights figure Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. penned an essay entitled “Why I believe in No Labels.”
“I am active and committed to the core values of No Labels because I believe in the inclusive mission of this strategically important, diverse, and expanding national bi-partisan, multiracial political organization,” he wrote.
He continued, “We believe that both bi-partisan and nonpartisan working together at the federal, state, and local level is the best way forward toward 2024 and beyond. We believe that by working together, we can and will help to shape a better future for the improvement of the quality of life for all Americans. We believe in No Labels.”
John Hope Bryant recently joined the group as its national vice chair. The Operation HOPE founder tweeted on April 2, “Honored to now be part of this bi-partisan public policy work w/@NoLabelsOrg. The the same org that advanced the Infrastructure Bill, Chips Act, and all pandemic Stimulus, w/@POTUS Biden.”
Operation HOPE is a non-profit organization providing financial literacy empowerment and economic education to youth and adults.
With No Labels becoming essentially a third party in some states, some are concerned on both sides of the aisle.
“I am proud of No Labels’ record of bipartisan legislation, and I know its leaders want what is best for the country. But I cannot support the organization’s preparation for a possible independent presidential candidacy,” said William Galston, a Brookings Institution policy scholar, in a statement.
Galston said he would separate himself from No Labels, which he helped found, over its 2024 planning for a third-party campaign to challenge President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, The Washington Post reported.
He added, “There is no equivalence between President Biden and a former president who threatens the survival of our constitutional order. And most important, in today’s closely divided politics, any division of the anti-Trump vote would open the door to his reelection.”
No Labels chief executive Nancy Jacobson said Galston had added a lot to the No Labels cause. “We’re sad to see him go,” she said in a statement. In addition to Jacobson, Ryan Clancy, Chief Strategist, is a key player on the No Labels team.
According to No Labels, its intention is to nominate a moderate alternative to potential extreme major-party nominees as an “insurance policy.”
Third Way, a national think tank that focuses on modern center-left ideas, also argues that No Labels is targeting Democratic voters “by their own admission,” citing an electoral map the group has circulated showing a unity ticket’s path to victory — winning two-thirds of their electoral votes in states Biden won in 2020, including such Democratic strongholds as Illinois, Washington and Biden’s home state of Delaware, Politico reported.
(From L to R) Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. (Photo: The Chavis Chronicles/PBS)/No Labels Chief Stragegist Ryan Clancy (Photo: https://www.nolabels.org/meettheteam2022)/No Labels Co-Executive Director Margaret White (Photo: https://www.nolabels.org/meettheteam2022)/John Bryant, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Operation Hope, speaks during the closing session of the the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Feb. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Alessandro Della Bella)
