Arkansans who don’t want to vote for President Biden or former President Trump next year could have another choice.
Secretary of State John Thurston this week determined that the group No Labels had collected enough signatures to qualify for the Arkansas ballot. It had already qualified in five other states and is working to qualify everywhere else.
No Labels made its name by encouraging Republicans and Democrats in Congress to meet in the middle through its “Problem Solvers Caucus.”
It’s now trying to be ready to offer an alternative if the major parties nominate Biden and Trump, as seems likely. Its polling has shown many Americans do not want that choice. If No Labels presses onward, it would nominate a bipartisan presidential-vice presidential ticket next year. Chief Strategist Ryan Clancy told me in April that No Labels thinks its candidates could win – nationally and even potentially in Arkansas.
Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat who is more conservative than his party, is the kind of candidate who might fill one of the slots. He spoke at an event Monday after No Labels released its “Common Sense” policy booklet. If he were the presidential or vice presidential nominee, he’d be paired with a Republican.
No Labels hasn’t decided if it will run a ticket. It’s come under fire from Democrats and others who say it would take votes from Biden and elect Trump. Co-chairman Joe Lieberman, a Democrat-turned-independent, says his group won’t play a spoiler role. If it looks like it would help elect one candidate over the other, it won’t run anyone.
Those who make the spoiler argument point to recent races where one side blames its loss on a third party candidate. For example, Republicans say Ross Perot in 1992 took votes from George H.W. Bush, electing Bill Clinton.
I don’t accept that argument against Perot’s candidacy (partly because I voted for him). We don’t know what would have happened had he not run, but exit polls showed his voters would have been split between Bush and Clinton.
Regardless, Republicans and Democrats don’t have a constitutional right to a two-candidate ballot. In fact, the U.S. Constitution doesn’t mention political parties at all. Perot was competitive. He received 19% of the popular vote nationally and might have done better had he not temporarily quit the race. If Republicans can claim Perot cost Bush votes, Perot supporters could say the same about Bush.
Third party and independent candidates can serve important roles. For one, they can call attention to issues that Democrats and Republicans would rather ignore. Perot focused on the federal budget deficit in 1992. In the following years, Clinton and congressional Republicans worked together to balance the budget. Surely the national discussion Perot led, and his 19% of the vote, helped inspire that.
If No Labels nominates presidential and vice presidential candidates, their primary issue will be the two major parties’ abdication of responsible, bipartisan governance. We desperately need to have that discussion.
Third party and independent candidates also give voters options to voice their concerns through the ballot box.
Unfortunately, options are too limited. Typically, Arkansans are faced with the Republican who will certainly win the state, the Democrat who will get 35%, and a long list of obscure third party candidates.
For many of us, it makes every presidential election a “hold your nose and vote” affair. To put it personally, I don’t want to vote for Biden or Trump, and I don’t want to cast a meaningless protest vote for one of these small third parties, either.
The No Labels ticket, in contrast, would offer credible, experienced presidential and vice presidential candidates who pledge to govern collaboratively from somewhere near the center.
Third party and independent candidates can play one other role: They might win. That’s why we have elections, after all.
To have a chance, they must get on the ballot first, which No Labels has done in Arkansas. We’ll see what happens next.
Steve Brawner is a syndicated columnist published in 13 outlets in Arkansas. Email him at brawnersteve@mac.com. Follow him on Twitter at @stevebrawner.
