A recent uncovering of emails has exposed a concentrated effort by Democratic allies to disrupt the potential candidacy of a third-party challenger in the 2024 presidential race, aiming to secure reelection for Joe Biden.
The Daily Mail reported that Democratic affiliates planned an intensive campaign targeting No Labels and its associates to secure Joe Biden's reelection in 2024.
In May 2023, emails were exchanged among Democratic strategists, revealing a plot to employ aggressive harassment tactics against No Labels, an organization then intent on fielding a third-party presidential candidate.
No Labels, which had planned a $70 million initiative to nominate and support an alternative candidate, found itself the chief obstacle in the Democrats' path to maintain the presidency under Joe Biden.
The campaign orchestrated by Biden’s allies proposed various methods to intimidate and disrupt the activities of No Labels and its supporters. One of the primary strategies included "bird-dogging" members of Congress who showed sympathy towards No Labels' cause, notably targeting the group's founder, Nancy Jacobson, and her husband, Mark Penn.
Strategists planned to send clowns and activists to Jacobson's and Penn's residences, aiming to cause significant disturbances.
These plans also included staging noisy protests at 6 AM outside the homes of targeted individuals, aiming to unsettle not just the targets but their neighbors. One strategist encapsulated the ethos of their approach, noting, 'Everyone loves a good wake-up action—especially the neighbors.'
Aside from disturbances at private residences, the campaign included embarrassing public interactions and negative local advertising aimed at discrediting No Labels and reducing their recruitment capabilities. The cost for these proposed activities was estimated to be between $180,000 and $400,000 for two to four months of intensive action.
The exposed plans sparked significant backlash, forcing No Labels to abandon their campaign after being severely undermined. In response to these revelations, No Labels took legal action and publicly disclosed the strategies laid out by the Democratic proponents.
This legal battle unveiled the extent of the proposed harassment, which targeted not just private individuals but also public figures and lawmakers associated with No Labels.
Reid Hoffman, a notable backer of Biden, was linked to the funding of these political endeavors. Following the backlash, Dmitri Mehlhorn, noted among the strategists in the leaked emails, parted ways with Hoffman to join the Lincoln Project.
Polls conducted in April 2023 indicated that a significant segment of the American public was hungry for a third option in the presidential race, apart from Joe Biden and the then-Republican frontrunner, Donald Trump.
This sentiment underscored the potential impact that No Labels could have had on the election, lending credence to why Biden’s allies might perceive them as a significant threat.
In the wake of these strategies coming to light, and following a poorly-received debate performance, Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential race in July 2024.
This abrupt end to his campaign marked a significant turnaround in what had been a highly strategic, if controversial, campaign approach by his supporters.
This incident has ignited a broader discussion about the ethical boundaries of political campaigning. "We will have activists calmly talk to them in the hallways while being recorded. We can then post and share the good videos," suggested one of the plans outlined for confronting members of Congress, highlighting the invasive nature of some proposed tactics.
Democrats involved planned to "name and shame" members of the Problem Solvers Caucus affiliated with No Labels, using aggressive media strategies to discredit them publicly and inhibit their support for the third-party movement.