Presidential elections: Is large number of voters registering for third party a worry for Democrats?

PHOENIX: They say they are enough for a Biden spoiler as a large numbers of voters have been registering for a new political party floating a possible bipartisan “unity ticket” against Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

This week, more than 15,000 people in Arizona have registered to join ‘No Labels’ movement.

Even while it is fewer than the combined populations of the 40 largest cities in the state, it is nevertheless a significant enough number to influence the presidential election in a crucial swing state. People wanting to prevent Trump from winning the White House once more find it disturbing.

The very existence of the No Labels group is fanning Democratic anxiety about Trump’s chances against an incumbent president facing questions about his age and record. While it hasn’t committed to running candidates for president and vice president, No Labels has already secured ballot access in Arizona and 10 other states. Its organizers say they are on track to reach 20 states by the end of this year and all 50 states by Election Day.

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“If they have someone on the ballot who is designed to bring the country together, that clearly draws votes away from Joe Biden and does not draw votes away from Donald Trump,” said Rodd McLeod, a Democratic strategist in Arizona.

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The stakes have increased for Biden’s supporters, who are waging a fierce lobbying campaign against No Labels and lawmakers who attend meetings with the organization.

The Arizona Democratic Party sued Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a fellow Democrat, in an effort to keep No Labels off the ballot in the state that Biden won by about 10,000 votes. Following its legal defeat, the party abandoned its complaint. Democrats are now pressuring Fontes to require No Labels to reveal its funders after implying that the organization is sponsored by conservatives trying to stop Biden. No Labels has thus far declined to disclose how its work is funded, claiming that it abides by federal law and desires to protect the anonymity of its donors.

Fontes has not commented publicly but is expected to announce a decision in the coming weeks after telling No Labels he may take action against the group for failing to register under the state’s campaign finance law. His decision is likely to be challenged in court.

Some of the anti-No Labels efforts here are quixotic. A perennial candidate from outside Phoenix signed up as a No Labels candidate and declared himself chairman of No Labels’ Pinal County chapter, in part so he could run for state office and try to force the party to follow the state’s campaign finance reporting laws.

Biden’s narrow 2020 victory came with the help of anti-Trump Republicans, right-leaning independents and voters who disliked both candidates but saw Biden as a better option than Trump. He’ll need their support to win a rematch.

If even a small number of those voters were to back a No Labels candidate next year, Biden could fall short.

No third-party candidate has ever won the presidency or even come close. In the modern era, the strongest performer was Ross Perot in 1992, but he didn’t earn a single electoral vote. He did, however, earn a reputation as a spoiler to then-President George H.W. Bush.