Joe Lieberman’s death leaves a hole at No Labels as it tries to recruit a 2024 third-party candidate

By STEVE PEOPLES
AP National Political Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Joe Lieberman served as No Labels’ chief defender when the critics got the loudest. The centrist group he helped create ignited a political firestorm over the last year by working to recruit a third-party presidential campaign that some feared might tilt the 2024 election in Donald Trump’s favor. Now, Lieberman is gone. The former Connecticut senator died on Wednesday due to complications from a fall. His death marks an irreplaceable loss for No Labels, injecting a new level of uncertainty into the organization’s 2024 ambitions. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced his decision not to run as a No Labels’ presidential nominee just hours before Lieberman’s death was announced. It was the latest high-profile rejection for the group.