'No Labels' has now officially become a political party in Kansas, paving the way for a third-party candidate

• "No Labels" has officially been recognized as a minor political party in Kansas.

• The party has now secured at least 12 spots on ballots for the 2024 election.

• Researchers previously noted that a third-party candidate would likely hurt Biden more than Trump.

As of Wednesday, "No Labels" has officially been recognized as a political party in Kansas, further paving the way for a candidate to make a third-party presidential run this cycle.

According to a press release from the Kansas Secretary of State's office, the party met the requirements to become a minor party in the state after submitting the number of signatures equal to about 2% of Kansas' 2022 gubernatorial election turnout, roughly 20,000.

With its recognition in Kansas, the No Labels party will now be on the ballots of at least 12 states, though the party's yet to endorse a candidate publicly.

In 2023, Sen. Joe Manchin — who's retiring at the end of his term — appeared at a No Labels fundraiser, sparking concern from some of his Democratic colleagues in Congress.

"If No Labels runs a Joe Manchin against Donald Trump and Joe Biden, I think it will be a historic disaster," said Rep. Dean Phillips in May, several months before he himself declared a run for president on the Democratic ticket against President Joe Biden.

"And I speak for just about every moderate Democrat and frankly most of my moderate Republican friends," he said.

The party may, ultimately, not choose a current Democrat for a White House bid. In July 2023, Business Insider reported that one of the party's leaders said the decision could come down to chance.

"It would be a very interesting experiment," said former Utah Gov. Jon Hunstman. "Flip of a coin? How all major decisions are made."

And though the party has said it's staunchly against former President Donald Trump's bid for office, Democratic strategists have warned No Label's efforts will only help Trump get re-elected.

In a report published Thursday by the Allbritton Journalism Institute's "News of the United States," No Labels leader and former Democratic Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon suggested that while Republican Trump supporters attacked the Capitol in 2021, "Democrats are contributing" to the country's worsening political rhetoric.

"It wasn't a Republican who said Fetterman could wear shorts from sleeping to the Senate floor," Nixon said, in reference to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's move in 2023 to alter the chamber's dress code for Sen. John Fetterman, who's well known for his casual dress.

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