by Nicole Girten, Daily Montanan — February 19, 2024
Montana certified the No Labels Montana Party as eligible for the 2024 election, the Secretary of State’s office said Friday.
The party seeks to create “a unity ticket to run in 2024 if the two parties [Republicans and Democrats] select unreasonably divisive presidential nominees,” according to the party’s website. The organization listed allies in congress including Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D- Ariz., and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La.
Manchin was rumored to be a potential presidential candidate for the party, but he said Friday he wouldn’t be running, as reported by Politico.
The No Labels party in Montana is a minor party, alongside the Green Party, meaning candidates will only appear on the general election ballot. The party needed at least 5,000 signatures to appear on the ballot, or 5% of the total vote cast for the successful candidate for the same office at the last general election – whichever qualification it met first.
The national No Labels organization sent the Montana branch $243,000 in July of last year, which the party spent on signature gathering efforts through Texas-based Advanced Micro Targeting.
David Bell, president of insurance company ALPS and board chairperson for the Mansfield Center at the University of Montana, was listed as the party’s treasurer in the state but was not immediately available on Monday for comment. No Labels did not respond to emailed questions in time for publication.
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