by Nino Cambria
A third party has qualified for Arizona’s 2024 election ballot, spurring concern and pushback from Democrats who view it as a “spoiler” party that could potentially harm Democratic election prospects, according to the Hill.
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes announced Tuesday that the third party, the No Labels Party, has garnered enough signatures to appear on the ballot and qualify for federal and state races in the 2024 primaries and general election. Democratic think tank Third Way released a memo earlier in the day criticizing the party, stating that it would only serve as a spoiler for Arizona Democrats.
“As Secretary of State, I am committed to supporting county election officials to ensure that they are prepared for this new addition to the state’s list of parties and any other changes to the 2024 ballot,” Democratic Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said in the announcement.
The No Labels Party is focused on creating a united front against extreme candidates from both major political parties and is seeking ballot placement in all 50 states, according to their website. Arizona is the second state where they have won ballot access, with Colorado being the first, according to cpr.org.
They aim to put forward a “unity ticket” in 2024 races, which include the presidential and senate races in the state, in the event that both major parties choose “unreasonably divisive” candidates next year, according to their website.
Third Way criticized the No Labels Party, saying they “cannot win the presidency” and noted they “will succeed in electing Trump” in their memo. The think tank believes they threaten President Joe Biden’s re-election due to the project’s $46 million of funding pledged and the fact that they plan to compete in states mostly won by Biden in 2020.
Arizona Democrats already have a potentially divided senate race to grapple with next year. Incumbent senator Kyrsten Sinema left the Democratic party in December, registering as an independent. Democratic congressman Ruben Gallego announced in January that he will run for the seat as well, posing a showdown against the independent Sinema, who has yet to announce a re-election bid.
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Nino Cambria is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Election Day” by Phil Roeder. CC BY 2.0.
