The centrist organization is approaching Chris Christie about a possible bipartisan third-party ticket

Chris Christie may have thrown in the towel on his Republican bid for the White House, but a group looking to field a third-party alternative may be interested in the single-issue candidate.

The former New Jersey governor acknowledged the obvious when he told supporters he had no path to the nomination, dropped out Wednesday and spared himself another humiliating blow in New Hampshire, the graveyard of his last presidential run on 2016

But while the Trump-hater is no longer a viable option for the Republican establishment desperate to prevent the former president from returning to Washington, the centrist organization No Labels is keen to lure Christie to a ticket of ” bipartisan” unity that could attract enough RINOs to swing the election to Joe Biden.

“I would like to reach out to him and see if he, Governor Christie, is at all interested in having a bipartisan No Labels Unity ticket this year,” said former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, the group's founding chairman , to SiriusXM host Michael. Smerconish on Thursday. “He could be a very strong candidate.”

i just asked @JoeLieberman Yes @GovChristie is @NoLabelsOrg material “I'd like to get in touch with him and see if he's interested in running on a bipartisan unity ticket for No Labels this year. I think he could be a strong candidate.” @SIRIUSXM

— Michael Smerconish (@smerconish) January 11, 2024

This week, NBC News reported that No Labels “has made overtures to Christie through donors and allies,” citing the now-standard anonymous sources.

“It is unclear whether Christie has authorized the talks to take place on his behalf,” according to the outlet. “Those conversations happened before Christie stepped down on Wednesday, and some of them took place in recent weeks, according to one of the familiar sources.”

“Neither the governor nor anyone in the campaign has had conversations with No Labels,” said Maria Comella, the former governor's campaign manager after he raised the white flag on his Republican campaign.

“When asked if Christie would entertain the idea, Comella said he had not discussed it with him, but added that Christie made it clear in his speech that he was 'not going away,'” NBC News reported.

I promise you this: I will make sure that under no circumstances will I allow Donald Trump to become President of the United States again. This is more important than my own personal ambition. pic.twitter.com/f9epxUxRM0

— Chris Christie (@GovChristie) January 10, 2024

Last summer, Christie didn't seem enthusiastic about No Labels, saying ABC's George Stephanopoulos, “I think it's a dumb mission.”

“I'm not in this for showtime. I'm not in this to make a point. I'm in this to be elected president of the United States, and there are only two people who will be elected president of the United States: the the Republican presidential candidate and the Democratic presidential candidate,” Christie said in an interview in July. ABC's “This Week.”

Christie could bring instant weight to a long-rumored no-label ticket with other names attached to the “fool's errand” after renegade Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican who has a large following in the media. but questionable national appeal.

“Political leaders need to listen more to the majority of Americans and less to far-left and far-right extremists,” No Labels states on its website. “We can still love and respect people who don't share our political views.”

Staff writer

Chris Donaldson is an ordinary, ordinary American who is concerned about rampant corruption as well as the ongoing attacks on our way of life by those who despise our hard-won freedoms. A Navy veteran, he has been a frequent contributor to conservative websites and resides in Florida.

Latest messages from Chris Donaldson (see everything)

We have zero tolerance for comments that contain violence, racism, profanity, profanity, doxing, or rude behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it, click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for engaging with us in a fruitful conversation.

JOIN OUR NEW COMMENT SYSTEM! We love hearing from our readers and invite you to join us for feedback and good conversation. If you've commented with us before, we'll need you to re-enter your email address for this. The public won't see it and we won't share it.