The No Labels Party of Arizona has officially changed its name to the Arizona Independent Party, following approval by the Arizona Secretary of State’s office earlier this month.
The change was first reported on October 17 by Axios Phoenix, which said the rebranding is set to officially take effect December 1. Paul Johnson, who became chair of the organization earlier this year, said the name change is part of an effort to assist independent candidates with ballot access by allowing them to use the recognized party as a vehicle. He added that the party would be open to any candidate wanting to run under its label and that voters would not need to register as members to participate in the process.
“For too long, Arizona’s political system has shut out independent voices, voters and candidates,” Johnson first said in a July statement announcing the party’s plan to pursue the change. “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.”
Under Arizona law, unaffiliated or “independent” candidates must collect petition signatures equaling 3% of all registered voters not affiliated with a recognized party, compared to just 0.5% of party members for candidates running under an established party label.
The party originally qualified for Arizona’s ballot in March 2023 under the No Labels name as part of the national organization’s push to secure ballot access in multiple states for a potential 2024 presidential ticket. After the national organization decided not to field candidates, the Arizona affiliate still sought to nominate down-ballot candidates, prompting objections from national leaders.
Secretary of State Adrian Fontes blocked the move; however, this lead to litigation. A federal court initially sided with the national group, but the Ninth Circuit reversed that ruling in No Labels Party of Arizona v. Fontes, holding that state-recognized party members have the right to recruit candidates and participate in elections. The state party is no longer associated with the national No Labels organization.
In a separate interview with KJZZ, Johnson said members had also considered several alternate names before settling on the Arizona Independent Party. Among them were the American Party, Commonsense Party, Liberty Party, Reform Party, and Forward Party. Several of those names are already in use by other national political organizations.
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