No Labels Founding Chairman and former Senator Joe Lieberman, speaks about the 2024 election at National Press Club, in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) , (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
In public, Lieberman was a tireless defender of the group's push for a third-party ticket. And privately, he was a key player in No Labels' recruitment efforts.
Lieberman also repeatedly emphasized that Americans were anything but enthused about a 2024 rematch between President Biden and former President Donald Trump, and he regularly pushed back against warnings from Democrats that a No Labels ticket would pave a path to victory for Trump in November.
Last month, in announcing the formation of a committee to vet contenders for the potential bipartisan ticket, Lieberman wrote that "if No Labels is unable to find candidates who meet this high threshold, then we simply will not offer our ballot line to anyone."
Hours before Lieberman's death, former Republican Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey became the latest high-profile politician to decline to join a 2024 No Labels ticket, along with fellow Republicans in former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, and moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia.
CHRISTIE SAYS NO TO RUNNING ON NO LABELS PRESIDENTIAL TICKET
There was also plenty of speculation that former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who was the final 2024 GOP presidential nomination rival to Trump before she ended her White House run earlier this month, would consider running on a No Labels ticket. No Labels had expressed interest in her earlier this year.
But Haley repeatedly nixed joining a No Labels ticket, most recently in an interview last month on "FOX and Friends."
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, another vocal GOP critic of Trump, was also courted. No Labels repeatedly reached out to Sununu and indicated in conversations that he was one of their top choices based on focus group data, a source familiar with those conversations confirmed to Fox News.
"The Governor politely entertained their appeals, and indicated at numerous stages throughout the conversations that he had no interest in serving on their ticket. They reached out again at the beginning of March, and he once again told them no," the source said.
No Labels leadership and guests from left, Pat McCrory, Co-Executive Director, Margaret White, Dan Webb, National Co-Chair, Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis and former Senator Joe Lieberman, speak about the 2024 election at National Press Club, in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
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"Having gained ballot access in 21 states and spurred a national conversation on the need for another choice in politics, No Labels is excited to build on our momentum to continue pursuing big ideas that promote unity and give voice to America’s commonsense majority," the group said in its statement.
And No Labels pledged that "we will remain engaged over the next year during what is likely to be the most divisive presidential election of our lifetimes. We will promote dialogue around major policy challenges and call out both sides when they speak and act in bad faith."
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