There’s a lot of speculation about third-party and independent candidates running in the 2024 presidential election. People want to know who may run, and when they’ll announce.
Independent candidates have some time to launch a campaign. The earliest state filing deadline is in March, but in most states the deadline is June, July or August because they’re not tied to the Republican and Democratic primary and caucus schedule.
Who could run?
There’s already one independent candidate, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He was running as a Democrat but decided to go on his own when it was clear he couldn’t win the nomination over President Biden.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V.
Retiring Sen. Joe Manchin is fueling speculation that he may make a bid for the White House. Jan. 12, Manchin is set to appear at “Politics and Eggs” in New Hampshire, an event considered a must for presidential candidates.
Manchin said he would absolutely consider running but first wants to see if there’s an appetite for moderates like him.
“I’m not even in that frame of mind to where you have to pick where you’re going to run from and this and that,” Manchin said when asked if he’d consider running as a Democrat. “I’m saying, I want to make sure there’s a movement. Maybe I’m by myself, maybe I’m in the minority. Maybe the people don’t think it’s not that bad. Everyone I hear from thinks it’s that bad.”
Polling reveals that Americans do think it’s that bad.
A recent AP/NORC poll found that most Americans would not be happy with a Trump-Biden rematch. Of those respondents, 56% of U.S. adults said they would be dissatisfied if Biden were the Democratic nominee and 58% said the same for Trump.
Former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-WY
Former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, who voted to impeach Trump and joined the Jan. 6 investigative committee after the 2020 election, said she will do whatever she can to stop Trump from winning again. That includes the possibility of launching a third-party bid. However, she said she wouldn’t do it if she thought it would help Trump.
Here’s what Cheney said about Trump winning the Republican nomination:
“If he does then all of us across party lines have to come together to defeat him next November,” Cheney said of Trump winning the Republican nomination. “And there are a whole range of things we need to do to think anew about nonpartisanship, about voting for the Constitution, not for whatever political party people may be part of. I think it matters that much.”
No Labels
The No Labels organization is also considering nominating a candidate.
No Labels hasn’t committed to entering a candidate into the race yet, but if the group does, it’ll hold a virtual nominating convention.
The group said America is hungry for another option and that it could offer a “unity ticket” with one Democrat and one Republican.
No Labels also said it has the data that proves a unity ticket could beat Trump and Biden with 34% support and get enough electoral votes to win. The group said it will be on the ballot in 27 states by the end of the year.
