Mark Penn and his wife Nancy Jacobson, who own No Labels, are well known as two of the most avaricious and persistent grifters in American politics. They’re toxic… which helps explain why no one wants to run for president on their party line. If Bernie were president they’d be begging Biden to be their candidate, but no centrist Democrat wants to run against Biden and mainstream Republicans who are anti-Trump don’t want to take any votes away from Biden and throw the election to Trump, which ,many say is exactly what Penn and Jacobson (and Joe Lieberman) want to do.
Late last week, Reid Epstein and Rebecca O’Brien reported that No Labels has been trying to recruit a candidate for months— with no success… and with deadlines to get on state ballots rapidly approaching. They’ve raised $60 million and already have ballot placement in 18 states. But Jacobson has failed to recruit a Republican presidential candidate with a Democrat as running mate. She was rejected by retired Adm. William McRaven, former Tennessee Gov. Bill Hallam, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, Condoleezza Rice, former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, Nikki Haley, former General David Patraeus and former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan of Georgia. And, even though he’s technically a Democrat, Joe Manchin.
So is there anyone left? Anyone narcissistic enough to take a bite of the poisoned apple? Someone who lives to be on the TV talking heads shows? Sure… Chris Christie. Over the weekend Kevin Manahan, reporting for NJ Advance Media reported that the potential recruits have all realized that a No Labels run would just serve to throw the election to Trump and have seen that No Labels contributions are coming in from Trump supporters. “Enter Chris Christie’s ego. The former New Jersey governor— who aimed his aborted presidential campaign at Trump but couldn’t gain any traction— is now auditioning to be the guy who hands the White House back to his old pal.”
“I am going to make sure that in no way do I enable Donald Trump to ever be president of the United States again,” Christie said when he exited the GOP primary on Jan. 10. And that’s more important than my own personal ambition.”
By backing Trump in 2016 and 2020, he said he “let the ambition get ahead and in control of the decision-making. And after I figured that out, I promised myself, and I promised my wife, I would never ever do that again. And I’m not going to.”
Remember that? Christie was hailed for putting his ego aside.
But now, just two months later, Christie is waving his arms frantically— “Pick me! Pick me!”— apparently hoping No Labels will put defibrillator paddles on his dying political career and give it a jolt.
Despite what he says, is personal ambition back on the menu?
“You know, I think the way I would look at it is, I will do whatever I can to try to make sure that the country doesn’t go through what I think will be the misery of a second Trump term,” Christie said recently on “The Axe Files” podcast.
He added: “There’s a lot between actually running yourself and nothing. But I wouldn’t preclude anything at this point. I would just say that there are a number of hurdles to get over before I would actually consider running as a third-party.”
Like what?
“Oh, I don’t know. There’d be a long conversation between me and [my wife] Mary Pat, I can guarantee you that,” Christie said on Good Morning America last month, when asked if he would consider running with No Labels.
As expected, Christie’s chatter drew eye rolls from Democrats and Republicans, who believe it makes no sense for a candidate who says he wants to keep Trump out of the White House to float a candidacy that could actually help return Trump to power— while joining a political organization suspected of having just that goal.
“Before jumping into the primaries, Gov. Christie said that efforts by No Labels to mount a third party campaign was a ‘fool’s errand,’ tweeted Doug Jones, former Democratic U.S. Senator from Alabama. “But now that [Republican] voters have clearly spoken, he says he will ‘consider’ being the fool that runs that errand. Go figure.”
And Never Trumper GOP pollster Sarah Longwell also is throwing up a stop sign.
“If [Christie] doesn’t want Donald Trump to be elected president again, he won’t run as a third party candidate,” she told CNN. “Because... you’re building an anti-Trump coalition, not a pro-Joe Biden coalition, and anything that splits up the anti-Trump coalition and gives people kind of a third lane or an off ramp. all that does is hurt Joe Biden and help Donald Trump, and I know Chris Christie does not want to be in the position of reelecting Donald Trump.”
