Andrew Yang reportedly in talks with No Labels group mulling third-party presidential run

Former 2020 Democratic White House hopeful Andrew Yang reportedly said he’s had ‘conversations’ with No Labels regarding the organization putting forward a third-party presidential run in 2024. 

In his discussion at Politico’s headquarters in Virginia while in town promoting his new novel, ‘The Last Election,’ Yang reportedly side-stepped when questioned if No Labels specifically approached him as possible candidate. 

‘I’ve had conversations with various folks who are associated with No Labels,’ Yang, who broke with the Democratic Party two years ago, told Politico. ‘We have a lot of friends and people in common.’ 

Yang, also a former New York City mayoral hopeful, remains listed as the co-chair for the Forward Party, a nonpartisan group promoting rank-choice voting and nixing partisan primaries, which he told Politico is focusing on local elections to impact national politics from the bottom up. 

By contrast, No Labels is pursuing access to the ballot in enough states to potentially put forward a third-party, centrist unity ticket to win the White House next year. Potential third-party candidates reportedly being considered include Republican New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, former U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, former Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.

During his interview with Politico, Yang categorized himself as an ‘anyone-but-Trump guy.’ 

‘I would not run for president, if I thought that my running would be counterproductive, or if it would increase the chances of someone like Donald Trump becoming president again,’ he said. 

He also surmised a potential rematch between former President Donald Trump and President Biden in 2024 would be ‘terribly unrepresentative and borderline ridiculous,’ noting both candidates’ ages. 

‘I mean, you’re talking about two guys whose combined age is 160,’ Yang told Politico. ‘In a country of 330 million people, you would choose these two gentlemen at this stage? I mean, it makes zero sense.’

Especially cynical of Biden’s chances, Yang laid out scenarios where a third-party candidates would hurt the current president’s likelihood of a second term. 

Yang predicted Cornel West, who is running on a Green Party ticket, to draw two to three percent of voters in 2024, representing a large share of the vote Jill Stein received in 2016. Yang also said he expected current Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to change to a Libertarian Party, saying Kennedy could draw a similar number of voters as West. Yang stressed presidential elections are decided by a few hundred thousand votes across key swing states but declined to say which candidate he’d personally vote for if he lived in those states. 

‘I mean, the field’s still coming together,’ Yang said.