Andrew Yang sparks buzz about third-party run under No Labels mantle

Former Democrat Andrew Yang has sparked buzz that he may jump into the 2024 arena under the No Labels party mantle.

“I’ve had conversations with various folks who are associated with No Labels,” Yang teased to Politico.

“We have a lot of friends and people in common,” he replied when pressed if someone from the group asked him about mounting a third-party bid.

Yang vied unsuccessfully for the 2020 Democratic nod to be president, but dropped out shortly after a dismal performance in the Iowa Caucus.

He then battled unsuccessfully to be the Democrat’s standard bearer in the New York City mayoral race.

Not long after his mayoral bid fell by the wayside, Yang announced the formation of the Forward Party, which seeks to promote national unity and reform the electoral system.

The Forward Party operates in a similar vein as No Labels, which champions centrism and bipartisanship. For months, the No Labels party has been toying with the prospect of naming a third-party candidate.

So far there’s been at least one obstacle: Who?

Others have also questioned whether a third-party option would be tantamount to a spoiler or just pointlessly doomed to failure.

“The question presumes that the goal of any third party is to win a presidential election … which is probably one of the mistakes [and] problems of the past,” Yang shot back when asked if a third-party candidate is realistic.

In preparation for a possible third-party candidacy, No Labels has been working to get ballot access across the county. Other names such as Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan have also been floated as standard bearers.

Yang underscored that he’s an “anyone-but-Trump guy.”

“I would not run for president if I thought that my running would be counterproductive,” he said.

So far, former President Donald Trump and incumbent President Biden are by far-and-away their respective party’s frontrunners.

“You’re talking about two guys whose combined age is 160,” Yang lamented. “In a country of 330 million people, you would choose these two gentlemen at this stage? I mean, it makes zero sense.”