By Stephanie Kelly and Jarrett Renshaw
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Centrist group No Labels will not field a third-party bid for the U.S. presidency because it could not find a candidate with a credible path to winning the White House, the group said on Thursday.
Only last month some 800 No Labels delegates voted to launch a presidential campaign for the November election and identify potential candidates, following months of fundraising.
A parade of politicians declined to run for No Labels, including U.S. Senators Joe Manchin, a Democrat, and Krysten Sinema, an independent. Most recently, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican, decided against running as the group’s candidate.
“No Labels has always said we would only offer our ballot line to a ticket if we could identify candidates with a credible path to winning the White House,” the group said in a statement. “No such candidates emerged, so the responsible course of action is for us to stand down.”
The group sought to offer an alternative to the two major-party contenders, President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and Republican rival Donald Trump.
No Labels raised at least $50 million to mount its third-party bid, and prompted concerns from Democrats that its efforts would undercut votes for Biden. No Labels had gained ballot access in 21 states.
