PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Democratic Party is seeking to force the new No Labels political party to disclose its donors or lose its political party status, an escalation in efforts by Democrats to block a group they say will grow Donald Trump’s chances of returning to the White House.
Arizona Democrats filed a complaint Thursday with Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat who angered some members of his party earlier this year when he officially recognized No Labels as a political party in the ‘State. The complaint asks Fontes to suspend the fledgling party until it discloses its donors.
No Labels says it is seeking ballot access in many states and will organize a bipartisan “unity ticket” for the president “if both parties select presidential candidates who are unreasonably divisive.” The party also won access to the polls in Alaska, Colorado and Oregon.
Democrats and anti-Trump Republicans fear that a No Labels candidate might not win, but would tip the scales in favor of Trump or a Trump-like Republican. Arizona is a crucial battleground state, where Democrat Joe Biden beat Trump in 2020 by less than half a percentage point. Biden won two other states by less than a percentage point.
The group plans to release a program for a potential 2024 presidential ticket next week in New Hampshire with Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, a Republican. The duo, who have both carved out centrist positions within their parties, are a potential White House ticket for the party.
No Labels officials say their own research suggests they draw equal support from both major parties, and they won’t submit a ticket unless they believe it has a viable path to victory.
Spokespersons for Fontes and No Labels did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the complaint from Arizona Democrats.
Roy Herrera, an attorney for the Democratic Party in Arizona, argues in the complaint that No Labels should have registered with the Secretary of State as a political action committee, but failed to do so during the year-long process of organizing a political party. He also argues that the new party should be required to disclose the donors who paid for signature collection to secure ballot access, or at least the expenses incurred since its recognition as a party.
“No one should be exempt from the law, especially not an out-of-state black money group,” Morgan Dick, executive director of the Arizona Democratic Party, said in a statement. “Arizonans deserve better and voters deserve to know who is behind this shadowy organization and what potentially nefarious agenda they are championing.”
The Arizona Democratic Party also filed a lawsuit seeking to block recognition of No Labels, arguing that there were flaws in the documents filed by the group. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Katherine Cooper appeared skeptical of the Democratic arguments during a hearing on Tuesday, but did not say how she would rule.
David Rosenbaum, a lawyer for No Labels, argued in court that the party is not required to disclose its donors to the state unless it nominates candidates for state office, which he has no intention of doing. In a letter to the secretary of state’s office last month, he argued that No Labels is only subject to federal campaign finance regulations and has done nothing to trigger reporting or disclosure requirements. state registration.
Herrera countered that No Labels cannot avoid state-level campaign finance reports by saying it will only run presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
“Although there will be no state nominees, No Labels is not entitled to special treatment under the law,” he wrote in his complaint.
About 7,000 voters in the state’s two largest counties, who represent 75% of all voters in the state, have registered with the No Labels Party since its recognition in March. Statewide numbers are compiled quarterly and were not yet available.
No Labels is one of four recognized political parties in Arizona, joining the Democratic, Republican, and Libertarian parties. The state stopped recognizing the Green Party after the 2018 election when it failed to get at least 5% of the vote in the gubernatorial election and did not collect enough signatures to maintain its status .