Senate Democrat staffers will be briefed this month by two groups that are looking to protect President Biden from a third-party presidential run that could sap energy from Democrats.
Liberal advocacy groups MoveOn and Third Way will meet with the chiefs of staff to Democratic senators on July 27 to discuss the risks of a potentially well-funded third-party presidential run, Third Way confirmed to Fox News Digital. The story was first reported Monday by Politico.
Politico reported that a spokesperson for MoveOn said the group is working with several Democrat groups to “stop No Labels from running a third-party ticket.”
A Democratic Senate staffer familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that the chief of staff for each Democratic senator was invited.
The third-party candidate push is spearheaded by centrist group No Labels, which has touted a $70 million plan to back a “unity” candidate. The group has established previous success and influence in Congress, where it founded the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus. But its push for a third-party candidate in 2024 has led to pushback from Democrats in the caucus.
“No Labels is wasting time, energy and money on a bizarre effort that confuses and divides voters, and has one obvious outcome – re-electing Donald Trump as president,” Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., said in May.
Speculations of a possible third-party presidential run have focused on Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who has established himself as a leading moderate Democrat and is up for a tough re-election bid in 2024. Manchin has repeatedly declined to rule out a presidential run.
A Manchin staffer told Fox News Digital his chief of staff plans to attend the meeting with MoveOn and Third Way if his schedule permits.
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The possibility of a well-funded third-party challenger to Biden’s re-election campaign comes amid a wave of concerning polls for the president. Biden had a 44% approval rate and 55% disapproval rate in Fox News’ June poll.
Biden faces a primary challenge from Robert Kennedy, Jr., who several polls show with support in the 10-20% range.