Nikki Haley Says No Thanks to No Labels Interest

No Labels is reportedly vetting candidates for a potential unity presidential ticket, and Nikki Haley is trailing former President Donald Trump in national polls in the quest for the Republican nomination. Would Ms. Haley be an ideal fit for the centrist organization’s unity ticket?

At a press conference on Jan. 18, No Labels co-chair and former independent Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman said the nonpartisan group would give “serious consideration” to the former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina governor.

When asked about the potential opportunity while campaigning in New Hampshire over the weekend, Ms. Haley told The Epoch Times she is “not interested.”

“I am a Republican through and through. That is what I’m running for,” Ms. Haley said, declaring that she is going to win the Republican nomination. “I’m not interested in No Labels. I’ve never been interested in that.”

“The goal is to go and get the Republican Party to understand we need to be the party of addition, where you bring people in, you don’t push people out,” she added.

President Trump has decided “who’s a good Republican, who’s a bad Republican, who’s a right Republican, who’s a wrong Republican, who’s a good American, who’s a bad American. We’re not going to do that anymore. That’s not what America is.  That’s everything that people don’t want. That’s everything that we’re trying to change. And that’s what we’re going to do. I’m interested in doing this the right way and winning the right way.,” Ms. Haley explained.

No Labels announced on Jan. 5 that it secured a spot for its “unity” presidential ticket on Maine’s general election ballot.

The group’s chosen candidates for president and vice president have yet to be announced. They will now appear on the ballot in 13 states: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, South Dakota and Utah.

Efforts are underway to gain ballot access in 14 more states.

Founded in 2009, No Labels started as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit dedicated to promoting centrist candidates that aligned with its focus on bipartisanship and “common sense.”

The group intends to establish itself as a political party to present an alternative to President Biden and President Trump.

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin (D) has been mentioned as a potential headliner on a No Labels unity presidential ticket. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) was also brought up as a possibility after he recently dropped out of the Republican presidential primary. Mr. Christie publicly endorsed Ms. Haley.

Mr. Lieberman on Jan. 18 indicated to reporters that Ms. Haley could appeal to No Labels and praised her record as governor of South Carolina and U.N. ambassador.

“If Gov. Haley does not succeed in obtaining the Republican nomination for president and she declares any interest in being part of our bipartisan unity ticket, I’m sure the people at No Labels would give that the most serious consideration, but obviously she’s not done that because she’s an active Republican candidate for president,” Mr. Lieberman said.

“We’re talking to a lot of people in both parties about potentially running, and really none of them have said no, but none of them have really said ‘yes, I’m ready,’ because they want to be convinced, just like we do, that one, it’s going to be Trump against Biden, and two, that there’s a plausible chance for a bipartisan unity ticket to win,” Mr. Lieberman added.

Multiple national polls indicate that more than half of American registered voters do not want to see a rematch between President Trump and President Joe Biden in 2024.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who initially entered the 2024 presidential race as a Democrat but announced on Oct. 9 that he would run as an independent, has led all presidential candidates in favorability rating in several polls and has generated more than 20 percent support in some of those surveys.

Ms. Haley is the lone remaining challenger against President Trump in the Republican primary. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dropped out of the race last weekend and endorsed President Trump. Vivek Ramaswamy preceded Mr. DeSantis in leaving the race and backing President Trump. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott was a Republican primary contender in the early stages of the race before departing. He recently said he is supporting President Trump.

‘Presidential Timber’

Last week, President Trump said that Ms. Haley doesn’t have “presidential timber” and ruled out selecting her as a vice presidential pick. After finishing third in the Iowa caucuses last week, Ms. Haley told CBS News: “I don’t think he needs to be the next president. I’m going to be the next president.”

Ryan Clancy is the chief strategist for No Labels. On Jan. 18, he was asked if the organization preferred that Ms. Haley win the Republican nomination so a No Labels unity ticket was unnecessary.

“We don’t have a preference. It’s not for us to tell the Republican primary voters what they’re supposed to do. We’re here to provide the choice if the public wants it,” he responded.

No Labels leaders announced at the Jan. 18 press conference that the group has asked the Justice Department to investigate possible criminal charges against Democrat-leaning organizations and activists who are opposing their quest to get a unity presidential ticket on the ballot of all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

A Jan. 11 letter signed by Mr. Lieberman, former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R), and others accuses “a group of activists, operatives, and party officials of violating federal criminal law, including the RICO statute and a number of criminal civil rights provisions, not to mention the freedom of association rights that No Labels and all Americans enjoy under the U.S. Constitution.”

‘Brazen Suppression Efforts’

Dan Webb, a former U.S. attorney in Chicago who has served as a special prosecutor in six state and federal investigations, said in a statement that evidence the group has presented to the Justice Department alleges “these groups are participating in a racketeering conspiracy to use fear and threats of force to intimidate and harass representatives of No Labels, potential No Labels political candidates, and No Labels supporters nationwide.”

No Labels national co-chair Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., a former executive director and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, also signed the letter. He said “the ”alleged conspiracy based on evidence“ is a ”plan to deny millions of American voters a choice they so clearly want in 2024“ and noted that it is ”one of the most brazen suppression efforts I have ever seen.”

At the press conference, No Labels leaders pointed to audio obtained by Semafor. The audio was reportedly from a call organized by “the center-left Democratic group Third Way,” with help from “the progressive Move On.” Representatives from End Citizens United, the Lincoln Project, American Bridge, Public Citizen, and Reproductive Freedom for All were also reportedly involved. Prominent anti-Trump Republicans such as Sarah Longwell and Bill Kristol participated in the call, among others, according to Semafor.

During the call, one speaker said: “Through every channel we have, to their donors, their friends, the press, everyone—everyone—should send the message: If you have one fingernail clipping of a skeleton in your closet, we will find it. If you think you were vetted when you ran for governor, you’re insane. That was nothing. We are going to come at you with every gun we can possibly find.

“We did not do that with Jill Stein or Gary Johnson, we should have, and we will not make that mistake again.”

The Lincoln Project is one of the groups named in the letter. On X (formerly Twitter), the organization posted about No Labels: “Like Trump, they want to weaponize the DOJ to get to attack their opponents for protected political speech. Make no mistake, we are not intimidated by threats from former presidents and won’t be from political hacks who think they can stop us in this existential fight for Democracy.”

Jackson Richman contributed to this report.