No Labels

No Labels is an American political organization supporting centrist, bi-partisan policies and politics.[2][3] It was established in 2010. It is a registered 501(c)(4) and does not disclose its donors. As of March 2023, it is a registered political party in Arizona, Colorado, and Oregon.[4]

No Labels
FormationDecember 13, 2010 (2010-12-13) (public launch)
TypePolitical
Legal status501(c)(4)
HeadquartersWashington, D.C.
Region served
United States
Founders
Nancy Jacobson
Tom Davis (R)
National Leaders
Joe Lieberman (I/D)
Larry Hogan (R)
Benjamin Chavis[1]
Websitewww.nolabels.org

History and policy proposals

No Labels was launched in 2010 by former Democratic fundraiser Nancy Jacobson, with the stated goal of developing and supporting bipartisan, centrist solutions to America's problems.[5][6] Billionaires Michael Bloomberg and Andrew Tisch were among initial prominent supporters.[7][8][9][5][6] In 2017, the group helped to start the Problem Solvers Caucus in the House of Representatives, a bipartisan group of 58 congresspeople which has backed issues such as funding for infrastructure, criminal justice reform, and gun safety in schools.[10]

Unity Ticket

The Washington Post reported that No Labels is raising $70 million in an effort to create a "Unity Ticket" third option on the ballot in the 2024 election in the event that both major parties nominate unacceptably divisive candidates.[11] Some have speculated that Larry Hogan, the former Maryland Governor and national leader could be this candidate, after he ruled out running in 2024 as a Republican, but not as an independent.[12] As of March 2023, No Labels has ballot access in Arizona, Colorado, and Oregon.[4]

Problem Solvers Conference

The group has been said to have moderated the Problem Solvers Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives[13] and to also have created a similar bipartisan working group in the U.S. Senate.[14]

Domestic policies

No Labels supported the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The law aims to curb the frequency of mass shootings in the United States by expanding criminal background checks, barring domestic-violence offenders from purchasing guns, and funding school security initiatives, mental health services, and programs that would allow authorities to seize guns from troubled individuals.[15]

In July 2022, No Labels supported the passage of the CHIPS and Science Act, providing $52 billion worth of grants and other incentives for the semiconductor industry to decrease US dependency on other countries, including China.[16]

In 2021, the Problem Solvers Caucus released a "Building Bridges" blueprint for a bipartisan infrastructure deal. It was the first deal to be endorsed by Republicans and Democrats during that budget cycle.[17]

Leadership

In December 2020, No Labels announced Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, a Republican as a national co-chair to serve alongside No Labels Founding co-chair Joe Lieberman, a Democrat and former senator.[18] In January 2023, No Labels announced Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. as national co-chair to serve along with Senator Lieberman and Governor Hogan.[19]

Media

No Labels has received both support and criticism for its efforts from both the political right and left, including from writers from Bloomberg News, The Daily Beast, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Boston Globe.[20][21][22][23][24][25]

Nancy Pelosi as speaker

On November 26, 2018, The Daily Beast reported that "No Labels leadership contemplated a campaign to attack Pelosi aggressively after the primary campaign of centrist Rep. Dan Lipinski," even though Pelosi had supported Lipinski in his primary campaign that year.[26] In the same article, the group countered that "No Labels is not against Nancy Pelosi or any other speaker candidate. We are FOR rules changes that empower members in both parties who want to work across the aisle to find solutions and prevent the fringes–in both parties–from perpetuating endless gridlock." On November 28, 2018, the Problem Solvers Caucus reached an agreement with Leader Pelosi on house rules changes that would foster more bipartisan legislating.[27] In January 2019, the new Democratic majority in the House led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi released a comprehensive reform package that included House rules changes which No Labels had supported through The Speaker Project.[28]

Funding

As a registered 501(c)(4) organization, No Labels is not required to disclose the identities of its donors.[29]

No Labels' early donors include Andrew Tisch, co-chairman of Loews Corporation; Ron Shaich, founder of Panera Bread; and Dave Morin, a former Facebook executive.[30] Writing in The New York Times, Frank Rich said: "This is exactly the kind of revolving-door synergy between corporate power and governance that turns off Americans left, right and, yes, center. Oblivious to this taint, No Labels named a few fat-cat donors who have ponied up $1 million-plus... What America needs is not another political organization with a toothless agenda and less-than-transparent finances."[29]

No Labels raised approximately $12 million from 2010 to mid-2014.[31]

According to The Daily Beast, by the end of the 2018 cycle, No Labels' super-PACs received more than $11 million from fifty-three donors, most of whom come from the financial industry.[32]

A Chicago Sun-Times investigation reported that super PACs related to No Labels include: United for Progress, Inc.; Citizens for a Strong America, Inc.; United Together; Govern or Go Home; and Forward, Not Back.[33][34][35]

Criticism

In December 2022, an article in Politico described a "toxic" culture within No Labels, citing a "cutthroat culture, one where staffers are routinely fired or pushed out, have little trust in management, and believe the workplace environment can be difficult for minority and female colleagues."[36]

Specific criticisms included the hiring of Mark Halperin, a journalist and author accused by multiple women of sexual harassment in 2017.[37]

In response to the criticism, several senior officials for the group described staff complaints as coming from, according to Politico, "aggrieved ex-workers" who could not adapt to a demanding office culture."

Critics of the organization have suggested that No Labels exists primarily to advance the financial interests of the wealthy, pointing in particular to the organization offering large "dark money" campaign donations to members of Congress without disclosing the source of the funds.[38][39][32]

See also

References
  1. Schwarz, D. Hunter (March 17, 2023). "A third party got on the ballot in Arizona for 2024. Could they change the outcome of the election?". Deseret News. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  2. Broadwater, Luke (2020-12-15). "No Labels, Planning Centrist Push in New Congress, Taps Larry Hogan". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2020-12-18. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  3. Pearlstein, Steven (November 9, 2020). "Forget McConnell. Forget Pelosi. In a divided Congress, Biden needs to build his own coalition". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  4. "No Labels secures ballot access in Oregon for 'unity ticket'". AP News. March 10, 2023. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  5. Clift, Eleanor (2015-04-11). "The Only Bipartisan Game in Town". Retrieved 2019-02-02. ...the non-profit group that was founded in 2010 to advocate for that elusive middle way.
  6. "A No Labels solution to Washington gridlock?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2019-02-03. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  7. Halloran, Liz (2010-12-13). "New 'No Labels' Movement Seeks Bipartisanship". NPR. Archived from the original on 2020-08-18. Retrieved 2020-12-22. "Those on the far left who say that we don't need to reform Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other social insurance programs are wrong and they don't have a credible plan to address our structural deficits. Those on the right who say that we can close our federal financial hole without additional revenues are also wrong."
  8. Siefert, Liz (2010-12-14). ""No Labels" Grassroots Group Determined to Push Back Against Hyper-Partisanship". CBS. Archived from the original on 2020-02-05. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
  9. Huck, Peter (2010-12-10). "America's search for a third option". NZ Herald. Archived from the original on 2014-01-11. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
  10. "About the Caucus". Problem Solvers Caucus. 2012-12-03. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  11. Scherer, Michael (April 2, 2023). "No Labels group raises alarms with third-party presidential preparations". Washington Post. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  12. Axelrod, Tal. "Larry Hogan won't close the door on third-party presidential bid in 2024". ABC News. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
  13. "A Call to Revive America's Political Center". RealClearPolitics. Archived from the original on 2020-02-25. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
  14. Booker, Brakkton (15 December 2020). "Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan Named Co-Chair Of Bipartisan Group No Labels". NPR. Archived from the original on 2020-12-18. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  15. "Five Facts on Mental Health & Gun Violence". www.realclearpolicy.com. 1 July 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  16. "Five Facts on the Global Semiconductor Industry". www.realclearpolicy.com. 15 July 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  17. "Bipartisan House caucus offers alternative infrastructure plan after Senate GOP talks collapse". Roll Call. 9 June 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  18. Booker, Brakkton. "Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan Named Co-Chair Of Bipartisan Group No Labels". NPR. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  19. "Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. Named National Co-Chair of No Labels". The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint. 23 January 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  20. Klein, Ezra (December 21, 2011). "'No Labels' Stops Whining, Offers Political Agenda". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
  21. Hiatt, Fred (June 28, 2015). "No Labels stakes out a national agenda". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on February 4, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  22. Clift, Eleanor (April 11, 2015). "The Only Bipartisan Game in Town". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  23. Frank Rich, The Bipartisanship Racket Archived 2017-03-26 at the Wayback Machine, New York Times (December 18, 2010).
  24. Katrina vanden Heuvel, Washington elites push for a consensus that ignores reality Archived 2016-07-30 at the Wayback Machine, Washington Post (April 16, 2012).
  25. Jennifer Rubin, No Labels, no relevance Archived 2015-11-19 at the Wayback Machine, Washington Post (January 14, 2013).
  26. Stein, Sam; Markay, Lachlan (2018-11-26). "Centrist Group Behind Pelosi Holdouts Plotted to Make Her 'Bogeyman'". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 2018-11-27. Retrieved 2018-11-30.
  27. McPherson, Lindsey; McPherson, Lindsey (2018-11-28). "Problem Solvers to Back Pelosi for Speaker After Reaching Agreement on Rules Changes". Roll Call. Archived from the original on 2018-12-04. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
  28. "The Democratic House wants to reform democracy. It's not a panacea — but it's a start". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2019-01-08. Retrieved 2019-01-09.
  29. Rich, Frank (December 19, 2010). "The Bipartisanship Racket". The New York Times. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  30. Langley, Monica (November 24, 2010). "Aiming for the Political Middle". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on November 25, 2010. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  31. Shiner, Meredith (July 28, 2014). "No Labels? No results? No problem". Yahoo! News. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  32. Stein, Sam; Markay, Lachlan (December 3, 2018). "How No Labels Went from Preaching Unity to Practicing the Dark Arts". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on October 15, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  33. Fang, Lee (2018-11-29). "Billionaire Republican Donors Helped Elect Rising Centrist Democrats". The Intercept. Archived from the original on 2018-11-29. Retrieved 2018-12-01.
  34. "Bipartisan 'No Labels' group's super PAC network revealed: mega Chicago donors". Chicago Sun-Times. 12 March 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-11-27. Retrieved 2018-12-07.
  35. Stein, Sam (2018-12-03). "How No Labels Went From Preaching Unity to Practicing the Dark Arts". Archived from the original on 2020-12-16. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  36. Lippman, Daniel (December 7, 2022). "Inside the turmoil roiling No Labels' unity ticket presidential campaign". Politico. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  37. Darcy, Oliver (October 26, 2017). "Five women accuse journalist and 'Game Change' co-author Mark Halperin of sexual harassment". CNN. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  38. Grim, Ryan (September 23, 2021). "Dark-Money Group to Donors: Reconciliation Bill Can Still be Killed". The Intercept. Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  39. Fang, Lee (August 26, 2021). "No Labels Offered Conservative Democrats Hundreds of Thousands to Spurn Nancy Pelosi Fundraiser". The Intercept. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
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