Arizona Daily Star/Tucson.com publishes letter by Richard Grayson, "When the state chooses your party"

Today, Tuesday, December 9, 2025, the Arizona Daily Star/Tucson.com published a letter, "When the state chooses your party," by Richard Grayson:

In Communist East Germany, the government simply assigned people to political parties. It was a quiet but powerful way to control political life: the state decided who you were.

Arizona shouldn’t be doing anything that even faintly resembles that history. Yet Secretary of State Adrian Fontes has said he will automatically reassign nearly 47,000 No Labels voters to the Arizona Independent Party becauses of the wishes of a new party chairman, without any formal input from those who chose to register with the No Labels Party. Fontes's office says people who don't like it can “just change it back.” But political identity is a fundamental right, not a clerical detail. Forcing voters into a party whose beliefs they may not share undermines voluntary political association.

No democracy should ever let the government choose a citizen’s party for them.

Richard Grayson

Arizona Daily Star/Tucson.com article on Clean Elections Commission's lawsuit against the No Labels Party's name change mentions Richard Grayson

Today, Friday, November 28, 2025, The Arizona Daily Star/Tucson.com published an article by Howard Fischer, "Arizona commission will sue to block political party's name change." 

The article began: 

Ignoring threats of being sued themselves, the Citizens Clean Elections Commission voted Friday to go to court to block the No Labels Party from rebranding itself as the Arizona Independent Party. The panel voted 4-1 to challenge the decision last month by Secretary of State Adrian Fontes to permit the name change.

Towards the end of the article, Richard Grayson's name came up:

There are about 47,000 people who signed up with the No Labels Party. Fontes' move appears to now automatically change their registration to the Arizona Independent Party.

That drew a complaint from Richard Grayson, a member of the No Labels Party who ran unsuccessfully as its nominee earlier this year in the special election in Congressional District 7.

He argued that the Arizona Independent Party is not simply a home for those who don't align with the major parties. Instead, he said, it has a belief system of its own.

He cited the party's web page, which lists among its beliefs that the U.S. military is "strongest in the world,'' that the party supports "strong borders and a workable immigration system,'' and an "all-of-the-above energy strategy'' including oil, gas, nuclear and renewables.

"So it's not an independent party,'' Grayson said. "They have an ideology."

Arizona Secretary of State Releases Official Canvass for September 23 Special Election for Congressional District 7

Today, Tuesday, October 14, 2025, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes released the official canvass for the September 23, 2025 special election for Congressional District 7. Although Adelita Grijalva, the Democratic candidate, won with nearly 70% of the vote, overwhelming opponents Daniel Butierez (Republican), Eduardo Quintana (Green), and Richard Grayson (No Labels), but Republican U.S. House Speaker refuses to swear her into office, knowing that she will be the deciding vote in favor of releasing the Epstein files, which may contain embarrasing details about President Donald J. Trump.

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes Announces Richard Grayson's Win in the No Labels Party Special Primary in Arizona's Seventh Congressional District on July 15, 2025

Today, Thursday, July 31, 2025, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and Elections Director Lisa Marra announced the official canvass of the July 15 special primary in Arizona's Seventh Congressional District. 

Adelita Grijalva (Democrat), Daniel Francis Butierez (Republican), Eduardo Quintana (Green) and Richard Grayson (No Labels) won their respective party's primaries and will advance to the September 23 special general election ballot.

Far-right white nationalist website publishes article, "No Labels’ Victory for the Right Not to Associate," mentioning Richard Grayson

The far-right white nationalist website Protect The 1st, published an article "No Labels’ Victory for the Right Not to Associate," today, Wednesday, January 24, 2023, that mentions Richard Grayson:

No Labels filed suit shortly after Richard Grayson, a man who has run for office at least 19 times, announced he would run as candidate for a minor state office under the party’s banner. Under Arizona law, this would have forced the fledgling movement to reveal its donors. Some Democrats have accused No Labels of being a spoiler that will poach votes from Biden, helping to pave the way for Trump to return to the White House. "I will use the campaign to expose the scam of No Labels (and to) excoriate the selfish and evil people who have organized this effort and their attempt to make sure that Donald Trump wins in November," Grayson said.

. . .

Just like [sic] Vivek Ramaswamy could not automatically declare himself Trump’s running mate, a No Labels party member should not be able to unilaterally declare himself or herself a candidate on the ballot with no input from party leaders. Federal judge John J. Tuchi ruled that to enable Grayson to run as a No Labels candidate without prior authorization from the party would violate the party’s chosen structure and rights.

New York Sun Article, "No Labels Goes to Court To Prevent Opponents From Borrowing Its Brand, Protect Secret Donor List," Mentions Richard Grayson

An article by Russell Payne at The Sun of New York, "No Labels Goes to Court To Prevent Opponents From Borrowing Its Brand, Protect Secret Donor List," published today, Thursday, January 4, 2024, mentions Richard Grayson in several paragraphs: 

At least one of the candidates that No Labels is attempting to block, Richard Grayson, is a perennial candidate who likens his campaigns to performance art. 

Mr. Grayson is also running in the open primary to represent Alaska in the House this year. He has previously run for Congress in Wyoming, citing the law there that only requires House                    members to live in their districts at the time they assume office. 

Mr. Grayson has taken advantage of Arizona laws in the past that allow write-in candidates to win party primaries with as few as one vote, depending on the circumstances of the race. 

His decision to run for a state-level office, a utility regulator, could open up No Labels to state-level financial disclosure requirements, something the group has so far said it is not required to do because it is not running in any state-level races.

The New Yorker Publishes an Article, "In Arizona, No Labels Is Attracting Potential Candidates It Doesn't Want," that Mentions Richard Grayson

Today, Wednesday, October 25, 2023, The New Yorker has published a "Daily Comment" article by Sue Halpern, "In Arizona, No Labels Is Attracting Potential Candidates It Doesn't Want," that mentions Richard Grayson. 

Arizona Republic Article on Arizona No Labels Party Lawsuit Quotes Richard Grayson

Today, Wednesday, October 25, 20123, the Arizona Republic published an article by Ray Stern, "Adrian Fontes, No Labels Party spar over candidates using party name. Here's the latest," that mentions Richard Grayson as one of the No Labels Party candidates targeted by the legal action:

Two Arizonans filed statements of interest to run under the No Labels label over the summer: U.S. Senate candidate Tyson Draper and state Corporation Commission candidate Richard Grayson, the latter a progressive Democrat who previously told The Arizona Republic he's trying to undermine the new party.

Draper, a high school coach who runs a conservative news site, responded to a request for comment by The Arizona Republic by saying: "go f*** yourself."

Following the second candidate's filing in August, the Washington D.C.-based political party sent a letter to Fontes' office saying it "does not desire to have the names of candidates for any other office printed on the official general-election ballot at the 2024 general election."

Arizona Elections Director Colleen Connor last month responded that the state would keep accepting candidate statements of interest and nominating petitions "for any eligible voter who seeks to use No Labels' ballot line in the 2024 election."

Grayson pointed out that if the party succeeds in banning unauthorized No Labels candidates, the people registered to vote under No Labels wouldn't get to participate in August's primary election at all.

Voters tired of the two-party system would be "better off registering as an independent," which would allow them to choose which party's ballot they want in the primary, he said.

A version of the article appeared in the print edition of the Arizona Republic on pages 1B and 2B on Sunday, October 29, 2023.

Arizona Republic Column on Arizona No Labels Party Lawsuit Mentions Richard Grayson

Today, Monday, October 23, 2023, the Arizona Republic published an online column by Abe Kwok, "No Labels wants a judge to block some candidates from running. The law may not be on its side," that mentions Richard Grayson as one of the No Labels Party candidates targeted:

No Labels officials rest their argument on a state statute that says: “At a primary election, each political party entitled and intending to make nominations for the ensuing general or special election, if it desires to have the names of its candidates printed on the official ballot at that general or special election, shall nominate its candidates … .”

They interpret the qualifying language “intending to make nominations” and “if it desires to have the names of its candidates printed” to mean the law gives political parties the ultimate say on candidates and whether to hold a primary.

But that statute narrowly relates to the nomination of candidates for printing on an official ballot.

At least one of the two people who filed paperwork, Richard Grayson, is seeking to run as a write-in candidate — that is, forgoing the process of gathering nomination signatures needed to secure his name on the ballot.

Grayson is taking advantage of, as he has done before, Arizona’s rules for parties that have “not qualified for continued representation,” including new political parties. Those rules allow a candidate to win the party nomination with a simple plurality of the vote.

Grayson won one primary race with a mere two votes and another one with 11.

More relevant is an Arizona law related to new political parties: “A new political party may become eligible for recognition and shall be represented by an official party ballot at the next ensuing regular primary election.”

. . .

No Labels’ suit isn’t the first time that Grayson, a lifelong Democrat who admits to simply wanting to sabotage No Labels, has been targeted for removal from running.

The Green Party sued him and other Green write-in primary winners in 2010, as well as the then-Secretary of State Ken Bennett and the 15 county recorders, to keep the Green primary winners off general election ballots.

The party lost.

Grayson welcomes another round of legal clarity.

Either way, he’ll be running as a No Labels party member regardless the outcome: Alaska last month certified him as a candidate for Congress in its open primary election.

A print version of the story appeared on page 4B of the October 25, 2023 Arizona Republic.

AP Article on No Labels Suing Arizona to Block Arizona No Labels Party Candidates Mentions Richard Grayson

An Associated Press article by Jonathan J. Cooper, "No Labels sues Arizona to block opponents from using the new political party to run for office," published today, September 28, 2023, mentions Richard Grayson:

The No Labels party on Thursday filed a lawsuit in Arizona seeking to block its ballot line from being used by Democrats who oppose the group’s efforts to launch a third-party ticket for president next year.

The lawsuit asks a federal judge in Phoenix to block Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes from allowing people to run for offices other than president or vice president under the No Labels banner.

Fontes’s office told the group last month that it is obligated to accept filings from candidates even if party leaders reject them. At least one person who’s filed under No Labels is a Joe Biden supporter who opposes the group and wants it to disclose its donors, something long sought by supporters of the president.

...

Candidates have filed statements of interest to run for U.S. Senate and Arizona Corporation Commission, the state’s utility regulator. One of them, Corporation Commission candidate Richard Grayson, is a No Labels opponent who has been critical of the group’s efforts.