No Labels is making a resurgence in Arizona following a court decision that reaffirmed the rights of its members to recruit and back candidates across the state ballot. The effort is being led by Paul Johnson, the former mayor of Phoenix, who wants to use the party as a vehicle to support independent candidates.
In a July 31 press release, the party announced Johnson had been appointed its new state chair. The announcement did not specify when or how the appointment took place, but that Johnson will “reenergize” the No Labels Party of Arizona, including engaging members about the possibility of changing its formal name.
Johnson said he wants to retool the party as a platform for unaffiliated candidates seeking office, using its recognized party status to circumvent Arizona’s ballot access requirements. Under Arizona law, unaffiliated candidates must gather signatures equal to 3% of non-party voters, compared to just 0.5% for recognized political parties. Under Johnson’s plan, No Labels would provide candidates with both organizational support and a party label, significantly reducing the barrier to entry.
“For too long, Arizona’s political system has shut out independent voices, voters and candidates,” Johnson said. “Although we are proud of the Party’s roots being in the national No Labels Party, and we deeply share their values, independence allows the No Labels Party of Arizona to focus on eliminating the discriminatory practices that have prohibited nonpartisan candidates from participating in elections.
No Labels gained state ballot access in March 2023 during its national push to run a bipartisan “unity ticket” for president. However, after the national organization decided not to contest the race, the Arizona affiliate sought to support down-ballot candidates. The national group objected, and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes blocked the effort.
A federal district court initially sided with the national No Labels organization, but the Ninth Circuit later reversed that ruling in No Labels Party of Arizona v. Fontes, deciding in June that state-recognized party members have the right to participate fully in candidate recruitment and electoral activity. That ruling cleared the way for the party to resume its operations.
The release added Sarah Smallhouse has also joined the new state committee, which will be recruiting candidates for the 2026 election cycle. In the coming weeks, Johnson and others plan to survey party members on their policy priorities and whether to pursue a name change. According to July state registration data, No Labels has 39,804 registered members, making up approximately 0.89% of voters statewide.
Several candidates have already declared under the No Labels banner. According to an Axios report, Stephen Neal Jr., a former Republican and educator, switched his registration to No Labels to run for the superintendent of public instruction role. Write-in candidate Richard Grayson also recently secured the party’s nomination in the upcoming special election for Arizona’s 7th Congressional District.
Some close to the organization have raised questions about whether changing the name as Johnson suggests would require it to requalify for ballot access under Arizona law, which is unclear on the matter. Independent Political Report received an email Friday from a No Labels member and recent candidate, who stated they had approached the Secretary of State’s office for clarification.
“I cannot find anything in Arizona Revised Statutes that says that someone, even a party chair, can change the name of a political party, nor have I found any court decisions saying that this is possible,” the email reads. “I thought one of the points of the Ninth Circuit’s ruling in No Labels Party of Arizona v. Fontes is that it is the party members who control much of the process, not anyone in leadership.”
The message continued that “those individuals who joined the No Labels Party chose to join that organization and not the X Party or the Y Party.” The member questioned how a name change would practically be implemented without explicit consent from the party’s 39,000 registered voters, expressing concern that voters could find themselves automatically enrolled in a party they never agreed to join.
“Please let me know if I am wrong and that upon being asked to change the name of the No Labels Party by its purported chair, the Secretary of State will agree to change the party’s name and send all of us enrolled in the party new voter registration cards enrolling us in a party named something else, something we did not sign up for,” the email continued.
As of this article, Independent Political Report is not aware of any response received from the Arizona Secretary of State’s office.
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