Now that Chris Christie has suspended his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, former Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., says he would like to talk to the former New Jersey governor about trying again by running on the bipartisan No Labels unity ticket.
"Earlier in the year when he was asked about No Labels, he basically said it was not an effort that had any chance of succeeding," Lieberman, one of the founders of the No Labels movement, told "The Michael Smerconish Program" on SiriusXM on Thursday. "Maybe the world will look different to him now, and I'd like to reach out to him and see if he, Gov. Christie, is at all interested in being on a bipartisan No Labels Unity ticket this year.
"He could be a very strong candidate."
Christie, with his campaign as the only contender who would strongly oppose former President Donald Trump, had been seen as a longshot contender for the nomination.
Lieberman did not lock down any potential candidates but said there is an "informal recruitment underway" to find a third-party candidate.
"There's no question that we share information, among those who are most active in No Labels, and there are some people who talk to some of our members, but a lot of our members, our leaders, are reaching out to potential candidates," he said. "So while it's not formal, we're letting people know that we're interested in them and we hope they'll think about this for the good of our country."
Critics are saying the No Labels movement would help reelect Trump, but Lieberman said they do not "want to be spoilers" in the race.
Trump, though, "represents a whole series of separate challenges [and] threats to our government beyond too much partisanship," including respect for the rule of law, according to Lieberman.
But Christie "might well be" No Labels material, the former senator said.
"We have people who are active in No Labels who are close to, and have been supportive of, Gov. Christie in his presidential bid, so I want to talk to him," Lieberman continued. "I know him. I like him.
"Chris Christie is refreshingly independent and is the candidate No Labels is looking for."
Christie allies and donors speaking with NBC News said they doubt he would be interested in seeking a third-party bid, and his campaign manager, Maria Comella, said after he announced he was suspending his campaign.
She added she has not talked with Christie about a third-party bid, but added he made it clear in his speech that he is not "going away."
"Neither the governor nor anyone on the campaign has had conversations with No Labels," Comella said, but she added that Christie was clear in his speech about his campaign that he was "not going away."
Meanwhile, Lieberman said there is an "informal recruitment underway" when it comes to finding a potential candidate to head the unity ticket, even as the presidential primary elections are nearing.
"We haven't triggered the process of vetting and review and all that, but there's no question that we share information, among those who are most active in No Labels," he said. "There are some people who talk to some of our members, but a lot of our members, our leaders, are reaching out to potential candidates.
"So while it's not formal, we're letting people know that we're interested in them and we hope they'll think about this for the good of our country."
The movement, he added, is "focused on restoring bipartisanship [and] national interest, to our government."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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