The No Labels political organization, which continues to push for a third party presidential candidate, filed a lawsuit in Arizona to block Democrats from using its ballot line Thursday.
The suit attempts to bar Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D) from letting candidates run for office under the group’s banner — with the exception of president and vice president.
Last month, Fontes’ office told the organization that it has to accept candidates’ filings even if party leaders do not want them. Arizona, a state where President Biden won by fewer than 11,000 votes in 2020, is one of a dozen states the group has secured ballot access for a possible presidential candidate.
“The Arizona Secretary of State disagrees with your assertion that a newly recognized political party can choose to deprive its own voters of their constitutionally protected freedom of association,” State Elections Director Colleen Connor wrote in a Sept. 22 letter, according to The Associated Press.
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Because of Biden’s tight win in the Grand Canyon State, fears have risen amongst his supporters that a No Labels ticket could be a spoiler to his reelection.
“The law is clearly on the side of No Labels,” Benjamin Chavis Jr., a former head of the NAACP and the national co-chair of No Labels said, per the AP. “So the question is, ‘Why is the secretary of state acting the way he’s acting?’”
“It has nothing to do with the law, it has more to do with politics,” Chavis said.
Former Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, who also serves as a national co-chair for the organization, defended the group amid increasing scrutiny.
“Nobody’s trying to spoil anything,” Hogan argued. “This is about actually receiving a majority of the votes.”
“I think we should only put together a ticket in the event that it’s Trump and Biden,” he added. “And I’m still, again, still trying to work to make sure we can get a good Republican nominee.”
His comments come as the former governor weighs a presidential bid under the third party label.
The Associated Press contributed.