The case against Donald Trump grows stronger by the day. Yet despite his indictment on dozens of national security felonies, a little-noticed event here in Colorado could speed his return to the White House.
It’s all due to an out-of-state group that recently secured a spot on the ballot in Colorado. The group, which claims to promote bipartisanship, can now run a third-party presidential ticket in 2024. While that may sound appealing, in reality, it risks dividing the mainstream majority of Colorado voters and tilting the election to Trump.
The group in question is called No Labels. They are a DC-based political organization that began as a group of Republicans and Democrats working to tackle our nation’s biggest challenges. As a former Senator who always tried to find common ground with the other party, I know that’s a worthy goal. No matter how you’ve voted in the past, it’s obvious to everyone that we need more – not less – cooperation between our elected leaders.
But running a third-party campaign for president would do nothing to solve our political challenges. To start with, the math just isn’t there. Since 1900, third-party candidates haven’t won enough electoral votes added together to win even a single election. No Labels says they can overcome this historical deficit by appealing to undecided voters. Yet the number of true toss-up voters, both in our state and nationally, is estimated to be less than 10%.
And here’s where the true intentions behind the No Labels plan come into focus. By targeting independent and swing voters, No Labels is going after the very voters who have increasingly backed Democratic candidates. Recent history shows the consequence of shifting these votes toward a third party would be significant.
In 2020, seven states were decided by three points or less; Joe Biden won six of them. Critically, Biden won voters who disliked both candidates by 15 points. Democrats–from President Biden to Jared Polis to Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper— know unaffiliated voters are key to how our coalition wins. Diverting even a small percentage of these votes could swing the election to Trump or another MAGA Republican.
No Labels is now poised to do just that. After gaining ballot access in Colorado, it also secured it in Arizona, a state that went for Biden by just over 10,000 votes. Now it’s trying to do the same in all of the most competitive 2024 states.
That’s why so many voices are warning that No Labels may be a spoiler, with many of their one-time allies in “open revolt.” Backed by $70 million from anonymous donors, the No Labels ticket could siphon off a few thousand votes in enough battleground states to upend the 2024 election.
What’s more, the No Labels strategy could also help hand control of the U.S. Senate to the GOP. If they use their newfound ballot access to run Senate candidates, they could likewise draw votes away from Democrats in tight races. This strategy could create an easier path to victory for the election-denying, divisive MAGA candidates that voters overwhelmingly rejected in the midterms.
The last time Trump was in the White House with a GOP-controlled Senate, they gutted environmental laws, drove up deficits to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy, and confirmed three Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe vs. Wade. This is the opposite of bipartisan problem-solving.
Joe Biden has taken a different path, one focused on solving our biggest challenges. He signed the largest, bipartisan investment in American infrastructure in decades. That law has already generated $3 billion for Colorado projects from Denver to Alamosa. In the face of worsening fire seasons and spreading drought, Biden passed a historic climate and clean energy law. That is helping U.S. businesses reduce emissions and compete in the $130 trillion global market for energy innovation and clean manufacturing.
And what about abortion rights? More than two-thirds of Coloradans–including three-quarters of swing voters—agree with President Biden and want to protect this essential freedom. But No Labels would hand power back to the very MAGA Republicans who helped overturn constitutional protections for these rights.
You don’t have to agree with everything the president has done — I know I don’t. But President Biden has set out an agenda that represents real progress and is supported by people of every background. In 2020, Coloradans helped elect Biden with a record turnout in the state. While we firmly reject the extremism of the Trump administration, No Labels could clear the path for his return. In 2024, there’s too much at stake to take that risk.
Mark Udall represented Colorado in the U.S. Senate from 2009 to 2015 and the 2nd Congressional District from 1999 to 2009.
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