NEW: No Labels Leaders “Cashing In on 2024 Hype”

By MoveOn. Friday, November 17 2023

Daily Beast: “Top six officials pulled in $1.5 million in salary—averaging just over $240,000 per person.”

No Labels “has declined to share virtually any information about who is supporting its ambitious challenge” in 2024.

Washington, D.C. – In response to new reporting by the Daily Beast that finds “the centrist group plotting a 2024 challenge is raising lots of dough, padding its leaders’ paychecks,” MoveOn Political Action Chief Communications Officer Joel Payne released the following statement:

“The millionaires who run No Labels can live without another vacation home, but our country and democracy can’t endure another four years of Donald Trump. We already knew No Labels is a shady, dark money political party, and now we know they’re also padding their own pockets and could make themselves even richer if they follow through with a presidential ticket. They don’t care if they put Trump back in the White House if it means a massive payday for themselves. They should immediately disclose their donors and put an end to this dangerous and misguided presidential ticket.” 

From the article: 

• As the centrist group No Labels gears up to launch a 2024 third-party presidential bid—potentially spearheaded by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV)—the nonprofit has declined to share virtually any information about who is supporting its ambitious challenge and how those funds are being spent.
• There may be a good reason for that. According to its most recent annual 990 tax form obtained by The Daily Beast, No Labels is flush with cash. It raised $21.2 million in 2022, a huge jump from the $11.3 million it raised in 2021, per the 990 that was reported by Politico last December. The group ended 2022 with about $20 million in the tank.
• With that haul, No Labels could aim to make noise in the 2024 race, as the group insists it will. What they may prefer to keep quiet, however, are the lucrative paydays being doled out to the No Labels’ leadership team, which appear in the tax documents.
• The piece also finds that No Labels’ chief strategist, Ryan Clancy, is a consultant who was paid at least $300,000 in the most recent year available—and that the group doesn’t note potential payments Clancy may receive as part of future ad buys if No Labels proceeds with a presidential campaign:
  • The latest No Labels tax filing is also notable for what it doesn’t include. Strategist Ryan Clancy—whose firm received $300,000 for “strategy services” according to the 2021 forms—is nowhere to be found on the No Labels tax returns from last year. But curiously, he is still prominently featured on the group’s homepage.
  • “In his many years with No Labels, Ryan Clancy has always operated as a paid consultant through his company Clancy Communications,” [spokesperson Maryanne] Martini of No Labels said in a statement. “He did not initially appear on the 2022 990 due to a clerical error which has already been amended and refiled with the IRS.

Last week, Rachel Maddow said: “The whole No Labels thing is by people who are hoping that Donald Trump is going to get elected and that they can peel off seemingly moderate voters from voting for a Democratic incumbent president.” Watch the clip here. 

MoveOn Political Action Executive Director Rahna Epting recently appeared on NPR’s “Open to Debate,” laid out how No Labels has no path to 2024, and challenged the party to release its dark money donors. Epting also penned an opinion piece for MSNBC with Third Way’s executive vice president, Matt Bennett, outlining how high the stakes are to stop No Labels.

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