Democrats' top opposition research group is setting its sights on suppressing third-party presidential challenges they fear could hamper President Biden's re-election effort.
The group, American Bridge, recently hired Mark Elias, a veteran Democratic operative and lawyer, in part to prevent such a challenger from succeeding, Reuters reported. The move comes as the group No Labels is pushing an independent candidacy for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
So far, American Bridge's efforts have taken the form of legal challenges over technical issues in the immense network of red tape required to run for office nationally.
"We're keeping an eye out to make sure they're dotting all their i's and crossing their t's, and we are not ruling out legal action with our attorneys if we identify a problem – and that applies for all third-party threats to President Biden," American Bridge President Pat Denis told Reuters.
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Top Democrats widely fear that a third-party candidate would harm Biden far more than former President Trump, who is currently dominating the Republican primary race.
Jim Messina, a former top aide to former President Obama, argued last month that a "third-party candidate can't win in 2024" and would likely guarantee a Trump victory.
"With a rematch between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump almost set in stone, it’s time to put a farce to rest: The notion that a third-party candidate could actually win the presidency in 2024," Messina wrote in an op-ed for Politico.
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"No Labels is pushing a dangerous lie that would simply serve to put Donald Trump back in the White House," he continued.
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A Reuters poll in December found that Trump's lead over Biden expanded by 5 points when respondents were given the option to vote for Kennedy.
The founder of No Labels, former Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, has repeatedly pushed back on claims that his group is working as a spoiler. The same Reuters poll from December found that 6 in 10 Americans want a third option beyond Republicans and Democrats.
"That's not our goal here," Lieberman told Fox News Digital last year. "We're not about electing either President Trump or President Biden."
Fox News' Jeffrey Clark contributed to this report.
