No Labels Sues Arizona to Block Down Ballot Candidates From Running Under Banner

On Thursday, the No Labels Party filed a lawsuit against the state of Arizona asking a federal judge in Phoenix to block Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes from letting individuals fun for any office other than president or vice president under its party affiliation.

Arizona is one of a dozen states where No Labels has secured ballot access. Since the party refuses to nominate candidates for state offices, they are not required to follow the Grand Canyon State's campaign finance laws.

As No Labels seeks to gain ballot access across the country, officials say they have raised $60 million in their third-party presidential bid. They are hoping to serve as an alternative to President Joe Biden who is running for reelection and former President Donald Trump, the GOP frontrunner.

“The law is clearly on the side of No Labels,” Benjamin Chavis Jr., a former head of the NAACP and the national co-chair of No Labels told the Associated Press. “So the question is, ‘Why is the secretary of state acting the way he’s acting?’ It has nothing to do with the law, it has more to do with politics.”

In September Arizona State Elections Director Colleen Connor wrote that the secretary of state "disagrees" with the notion that No Labels should refuse paperwork from candidates hoping to use the ballot line to run for office, ultimately violating their rights.

The group has said they will only nominate a candidate if they see a viable and successful path to the White House and will decide on announcing a nominee in the Spring.