Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) confirmed he is “concerned” about the No Labels Party (NLP) of Arizona after the group announced an event with Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) when asked whether the nascent party could cost President Joe Biden the 2024 election.
Kelly made the remarks during an appearance on “State of the Nation” with Jake Tapper, who reminded viewers that Biden won Arizona by “less than half of a percentage point” and asked the former astronaut if he thinks “Manchin and No Labels could potentially cost Joe Biden his reelection?
In response, Kelly first argued that NLP should not be considered a political party due to its alleged “dark money” funding from sources he labeled “a few rich people” before turning to the party’s potential in Arizona.
“I’m obviously concerned about what’s going on here in Arizona and across the country,” Kelly confirmed, before adding that Biden “has a very strong record to run on” and noting that Election Day is roughly 18 months away. “I hope this all gets sorted out,” Kelly added.
Kelly’s appearance on CNN came after NLP announced Manchin would be a keynote speaker for its New Hampshire town hall event on Monday. That announcement reportedly fueled concern among Democrats that the senator might pursue a third party bid for president, aided by NLP, potentially upending the balance of power in the U.S. Senate and bleeding enough votes from Biden to pave the way for a Republican victory in battleground states including Arizona.
