'Hair on fire': Big name ex-politicians roll out attempt to thwart No Labels' third-party presidential bid

A bipartisan group of former lawmakers plans to launch a new initiative aimed at stopping a potential No Labels presidential bid, The Washington Post reports.

Former House Democratic leader Richard Gephardt is behind the effort to thwart the third-party presidential effort, the report said.

The newly formed group has already commissioned private polling, the findings of which confirm what many political observers have publicly stated – that a moderate third-party candidate would siphon more votes from President Joe Biden than former President Donald Trump.

Greg Schneiders, a former aide to President Jimmy Carter, heads Prime Group, which conducted the polling for Gephardt’s group.

“No Labels equals Trump,” Schneiders told The Post.

“It is going to affect the race and it is going to affect it negatively for Biden, and it is probably going to elect Donald Trump.”

Others who have joined the group include former GOP operative Stuart Stephens and former Senator Doug Jones (D-Ala.).

No Labels on Sunday plans to unveil its “common sense” policy proposals that it says aim to showcase a non-partisan appeal. No Labels said it wouldn’t directly fund a potential presidential candidacy.

Former U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman, a No Labels founding chairman, assailed the efforts of Gephardt’s group.

“They are really working overtime to prevent the voters from a choice,” Lieberman told The Post.

“We feel that the voters in this country deserve a third choice, a bipartisan choice. And I will also repeat that we will not be spoilers in this.”

Former Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) told The Post he attended two No Labels events as an observer and isn’t backing the third-party’s efforts and dismissed the notion that the third party seeks to throw the former president a political lifeline.

“The last thing that this group wants to do is be known as the group that elected Donald Trump,” Corker told The Post.

“My sense is they will ultimately decide that their best chance of success is with a Republican center-right candidate,” he said. “And I just scratch my head at the Democrats having their hair on fire about this.”

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