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--:-- John Bickley: Welcome to this extra edition of Morning Wire. I'm John Bickley, Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Wire, and I'm here with Georgia Howe.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for joining us, John.
--:-- John Bickley: Today, we're talking about a potential third party candidate in the 2024 presidential election. Joining us now is Joe Cunningham, the National Director of No Labels. Joe, thanks for coming on.
--:-- Joe Cunningham: Thanks for having me.
--:-- John Bickley: Historically, third parties in the U.S. don't perform well in presidential elections, but No Labels, which describes itself as a nonpartisan voice for the common sense majority, has announced that they may add a name to the ballot in 2024 in the event of a Donald Trump-Joe Biden rematch. Can you give us a brief explainer of the mission behind No Labels and how it came to be?
--:-- Joe Cunningham: So, No Labels is a non-profit that's been around for over 12 years now. It was established to give the common sense majority a voice and a place to stand. I came across No Labels after I was elected to Congress in 2018. I ran on a platform of bipartisanship, bringing people together. As a Democrat, I had Republican mayors endorsing my campaign. And so, I got to Congress and joined the Problem Solvers Caucus, which is a group of half Democrats and half Republicans. It seemed like a natural home to me. I began working with No Labels through them back in early 2019 and stayed involved because I felt like in my time in Congress, what I saw was that there are only a couple of places where Democrats and Republicans actually come together. One's the House, but there's no substantive policy debates down there. Another one is the Problem Solvers Caucus, and they've been able to accomplish a lot of bipartisan victories.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's interesting. You mentioned the Problem Solvers Caucus. Can you tell us more about that?
--:-- Joe Cunningham: The Problem Solvers Caucus has been able to accomplish a lot of bipartisan victories. Whether it be the infrastructure deal, avoiding the debt ceiling fiasco, or during my time, it was COVID relief, the CARES Act, all that stuff. The Problem Solvers Caucus had their handprints on it. And last December, they expanded their vision further by looking towards 2024 and asking the question: if it's Trump versus Biden, would Americans want another choice? And would they have an appetite for a unity ticket, which is a Democrat-Republican or Republican-Democrat as another option, another and better option for Americans to choose from.
--:-- John Bickley: What did they find through polling?
--:-- Joe Cunningham: What we found through polling was that a good portion of Americans are open to this idea. And the majority of Americans do not want to see a rematch between Trump and Biden. And those polls have been corroborated recently. And so, what we've been doing is securing ballot access across the country. We're attempting to get on the ballot in all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. as an insurance policy to provide another and better option for Americans who don't want to see this rematch.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Many people say voting for a third party candidate is just throwing away a vote. But you're suggesting there might be a unique opportunity here in 2024 for the success of a third party candidate. Do you think the polling is supporting that so far?
--:-- Joe Cunningham: Well, we've seen so far that it suggests yes. I always kind of fall back on paraphrasing Victor Hugo. There's nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come. And I recognize and acknowledge the skepticism that may exist towards third parties based upon history. However, I feel like we're at a time right now where these two presumptive nominees are viewed so unfavorably by the majority of Americans. And you have a Gallup poll that came out with the numbers that show we have a record high number of people identifying as independents, almost 50 percent, so about as many as Democrats and Republicans combined.
--:-- John Bickley: That's a significant number. How do you find the right person in this really polarized political moment that can appeal to both sides? Is that even possible?
--:-- Joe Cunningham: I think most Americans just want government to work and they want to tone down the divisive rhetoric. So, I think finding those leaders who have achieved some success in both of those realms, providing results and bridging the partisan divide. There's a lot of leaders out there. And oftentimes, what I found in Congress was they don't oftentimes get the spotlight. You know, you have your show horses and you have your workhorses. And those members inside the Problem Solvers Caucus, they may not be the ones who oftentimes go viral. However, I was proud to serve on that caucus and proud of those members that are there because they do do the hard work.
--:-- Georgia Howe: One of the names that has been bandied about a good bit already is Senator Joe Manchin, the West Virginia Democrat. And he's recently spoken at one of your events, correct?
--:-- Joe Cunningham: Yes. So, that happened in New Hampshire. We launched the book Common Sense. And we're thrilled to have Senator Manchin there as well as Governor Huntsman. And those two people were original co-chairs for No Labels. And so, they have a long history with the entity and organization. And of course, Senator Manchin over in the U.S. Senate has been working with the Problem Solvers Caucus for a good while now. He's just been in this realm. So, we're proud to have him there to launch Common Sense.
--:-- John Bickley: Trying to get on the ballot in all 50 states is a significant task. How hard is that actually to do?
--:-- Joe Cunningham: It's an arduous task. I mean, it's not impossible. And we have a great team of people. However, you know, I'm an attorney by trade, and so, you're looking at the laws in 50 different jurisdictions, and you have to have a good handle on those. And then, unfortunately, there are entities that are looking to push back against this effort. And what this is about, when you take a step back and look at what we're trying to do by securing ballot access, this is about giving Americans options. This is about our constitutional right to assemble and to secure ballot access. And that's all we're trying to do is secure that ballot to potentially give Americans another option should they want that.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Final question. When is your deadline to make a decision? When do you think you need to have decided based on the polling that there really is a chance for a third party candidate?
--:-- Joe Cunningham: So, Super Tuesday in March of 2024 is usually historically the time when we have a good idea as to who the two major nominees are. We have our convention in Texas in mid-April. So, we'll have the time period by mid-March, Super Tuesday, we'll know who the major nominees are. And if they are so unfavorable by Americans and if there's a pathway, we'll be doing polling into this year up until next year. And so, we'll make that decision between March and April as to whether or not those two metrics that we discussed earlier are met.
--:-- John Bickley: Joe, thanks for coming on.
--:-- Joe Cunningham: Thanks for having me.
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--:-- John Bickley: That was No Labels National Director, Joe Cunningham, and this has been an extra edition of Morning Wire.
