Third-party group rebuts claims it will boost Trump vote

Third parties could hurt Donald Trump as much as Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential election, the group No Labels has claimed, insisting its contentious effort to build a unity ticket cannot be compared to spoiler candidates of the past.

- David Smith WASHINGTON

"We're not spoiling anything," No Labels' Jay Nixon, a lifelong Democrat who spent 30 years serving Missouri as a governor, attorney general and state senator, told the Guardian.

The centrist group is preparing for the strongest third-party presidential bid since the Texas businessman Ross Perot earned nearly 19% of the popular vote in 1992. It has gained ballot access in 12 states so far. But No Labels' critics in the Democratic party have warned that it could siphon votes that would otherwise go to Biden.

They point to Green party examples, such as Ralph Nader, who in 2000 polled at less than 3% but was widely blamed for depriving AI Gore of critical votes, and Jill Stein, who in 2016 notched just 1% but may have made all the difference in battleground states that Hillary Clinton lost.