Making the case for a unity candidate for president | Opinion

Gary Sasse is chairman of No Labels Rhode Island and served as director of the Rhode Island Departments of Administration and Revenue and is the founding director of the Hassenfeld Institute for Public Leadership at Bryant University.

President Joe Biden recently said “democracy is on the ballot” in the 2024 presidential election. A salient feature of democratic elections is providing voters with responsible choices. So, why then are Democratic Party operatives running a malicious, no-holds-barred campaign to stifle an attempt by No Labels, a nonprofit attempting to inject meaningful choice into the upcoming election by possibly offering a third choice for president?

Over the last two years, No Labels has polled tens of thousands of voters, and found that anywhere from 59 percent to 63 percent of voters said they would consider a moderate independent in the event of a Trump-Biden rematch. A majority of voters want presidential leadership that can unite America and restore the optimism and can-do spirit that has historically characterized our nation.

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This past July, the Liberal Patriot/YouGov 2024 tracking project found that “most American voters believe both parties have become too ideologically extreme in terms of economic and cultural issues.” Ryan Clancy, chief strategist at No Labels, reported, “An estimated 55 percent of the American public view Donald Trump and Joe Biden unfavorably.” As a result, there may be an historic opportunity for a pragmatic unity candidate to run a competitive race. As the Brookings Institution’s William Galston opined recently, “The country needs a new beginning, a reordering of policy and rhetoric in both parties.”

To give voters a choice, No Labels has undertaken the complex task of securing ballot access in all 50 states for a national bipartisan presidential Unity ticket. The centerpiece of this effort is to provide voters a third choice if both parties nominate two candidates – Trump and Biden – who have not demonstrated the ability to unite the country and effectively address our challenges.

Unfortunately, a coalition of Democratic operatives and some “Never Trumpers” have organized a vitriolic multi-faceted scare tactics campaign to cripple No Labels' efforts to inject a third major candidate into the 2024 presidential race. As the news website Semafor reported last month, their tactics include legal challenges, opposition research and threats to make potential candidates and donors politically toxic if they support the No Labels Unity ticket.

In response, former Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, a founding chairman of No Labels and a former vice presidential candidate, said this past fall, “No Labels opponents in the political establishment wrap themselves in high-flying rhetoric about protecting democracy when they are merely protecting their turf. This has been the two-party playbook for decades, and the resulting false binary choice has not served our country well.”

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Two-thirds of Americans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction. A Pew Research Center poll recently found that support for both political parties is at a record low, and there is less confidence in our political institutions. Given the growing immigration crisis, spiraling national debt, escalating national security risks, and failing schools, the biggest risk we may face is doing nothing to right the ship of state.

No Labels proposes a pathway forward where "compromise” is not a dirty word, and working across the aisle replaces extreme partisanship. No Labels national unity agenda is aimed at making governing a collective enterprise, not a battleground of warring tribes. It aims to replace extreme partisanship with problem-solving and limit the power of party stalwarts and their special interest allies to punish elected officials for not adhering to the party line.

In 2024, American voters deserve a new choice, not an echo of the past duopoly. As the Wall Street Journal recently editorialized, voters “will have ample cause to consider a third-party alternative − if No Labels can come up with one.”

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: A majority of voters want presidential leadership that can unite America and restore the optimism and can-do spirit.