President Joe Biden confided in former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton about the threat of a third-party candidate overshadowing his general election campaign.
Two people familiar with the conversation told NBC News that Biden met with Clinton in a private meeting at the White House last month. Clinton made her first public return to the White House since the Obama administration to honor recipients of a prestigious arts award.
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Clinton reportedly told Biden he needed to take the third-party threat seriously and come up with a way to compensate for it, one of the sources told NBC News.
The former candidate has experience in this matter, as many of her allies have blamed Jill Stein, the 2016 Green Party nominee, for siphoning voters away from Clinton in crucial swing states that year — leading to the victory of Donald Trump.
And Trump appears to be on track to benefit from third-party candidates in 2024. In a national NBC News poll released on Sunday, Biden is tied with Trump, the front-runner for the GOP nomination, at 46% in a head-to-head matchup. However, when a third-party option is introduced, Trump leads Biden 39% to 36%.
Several Democratic lawmakers have voiced concerns in recent months that support for Green Party contender Cornel West or other third-party candidates could pull enough support away from Biden to secure a Trump victory.
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Democrats and their allies have criticized groups such as No Labels for a unity presidential ticket, claiming it could harm Biden and aid the GOP, something No Labels has adamantly denied.
No Labels Co-Chairman Ben Chavis said the centrist political organization would pull out of the contest if polls showed Biden with a significant lead over Trump or if Trump is not selected as the GOP presidential nominee in 2024.
