No Labels
East Hampton Village
July 7, 2023
Dear Editor,
I’m a new vice chair at No Labels, where we’re working to provide ballot access in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., for a moderate, independent ticket of one Republican and one Democrat for the presidential race in 2024.
The two major parties continue to speak only to their base with partisan divisiveness and fearmongering, rather than solving our country’s most pressing issues. No Labels is the voice of the common-sense majority of Americans who decline to identify with either major party — a group that polls nearly equal numbers to the two parties combined (49 percent in the latest Gallup Poll).
No Labels has more than a decade of success in political innovation to revive bipartisanship and get our federal government working again for ordinary Americans. No Labels first conceived of and convened the United States House Problem Solvers Caucus 12 years ago, the group responsible for much of the bipartisan legislation passed in the past decade. No Labels more recently had the idea to create and host regular bicameral meetings, where Problem Solvers Caucus members work with aligned U.S. senators from both parties to create legislation that not only can pass in one chamber, but has bipartisan support in both chambers. This group birthed what ultimately became the first major bipartisan infrastructure investment in more than a generation. Now, No Labels has set sights on its third political innovation — the 2024 presidential insurance policy described above.
The moment is right for this effort. Nearly 70 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with what is most likely a rematch of President Biden and former President Donald Trump. And in most polls, Trump is polling ahead of Biden in a head-to-head matchup. If it still looks like this is the menu the two parties will be serving up to American voters after Super Tuesday next March, No Labels will have the runway set for a moderate independent ticket to run and, our extensive polling data shows, win outright and not just “spoil.” In the meantime, both major parties have the opportunity to wake up and listen to the widespread voter dissatisfaction with the status quo and shift their focus, in which case No Labels will stand down. But if they don’t, No Labels will provide the alternate choice Americans crave and deserve.
A new era of politics is at hand and no amount of attacks or shouting will keep us from this important task.
MARTHA EHMANN CONTE