A fledgling third political group in Arizona is facing a major setback after a court blocked its effort to rebrand as the "Independent Party," escalating a ballot fight with major implications for the 2026 midterm elections in one of the nation's most closely watched battleground states.
Democrats and Republicans joined the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission in suing over the name change after Secretary of State Adrian Fontes approved the switch from No Labels, arguing the new label would confuse voters because Arizona already has a large bloc of unaffiliated voters commonly described as independents.
In a March 25 ruling, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Greg Como agreed and said Fontes lacked the authority to approve the change, calling it "a political bait and switch."
The fight comes as Arizona moves toward a July 21 primary election and a Nov. 3 general election, with Gov. Katie Hobbs seeking reelection and high-profile contests already taking shape across the ballot, including statewide and congressional campaigns.
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., is running for governor, and Attorney General Kris Mayes is running for reelection.
The case also underscores why both parties are so focused on Arizona's unaffiliated electorate.
According to Fontes' January 2026 voter registration report, Republicans account for 35.79% of Arizona's registered voters, Democrats tally 28.15%, and the "Other" category totals 34.27%. The party at the center of the case had 41,484 registered voters, or 0.96% of the statewide total.
"The two parties see us as an existential threat," said Paul Johnson, the group's chairman and a former Phoenix mayor, in an interview with The New York Times.
Johnson said the proposed name change was part of a broader effort to gain visibility and push for electoral reforms, including open primaries.
"We needed to be relevant, we needed to be known, and we needed to find a way to break through to the public," he said.
The group's preferred gubernatorial candidate, healthcare executive Hugh Lytle, said his campaign would continue regardless of the party's ballot label.
"My candidacy is viable no matter what the party name is," he said.
Lytle is still actively pursuing the governor's office, but even his path inside the party has become more complicated, with another No Labels candidate challenging his petition signatures ahead of the primary.
Even a small third-party vote share could matter in Arizona.
Hobbs won the 2022 governor's race by 17,117 votes, a narrow margin that continues to shape how both parties view any outsider candidacy that might pull support in a close statewide contest.
The legal clash is also rooted in the aftermath of No Labels' 2024 presidential effort, which drew fierce opposition from Democrats who feared a bipartisan ticket could siphon votes in swing states.
Como also sharply questioned the legality of the rebrand, writing, "Would the same 41,000 people who signed petitions to recognize the No Labels Party have signed to support the 'Arizona Nazi Party' or the 'Arizona Anarchists'?"
If the ruling stands, candidates tied to the party will appear on the ballot under the No Labels name, not "Independent Party," as Arizona heads deeper into the 2026 campaign.
Fontes' office said it will not participate in an appeal.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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