Arizona Republic publishes letter by Richard Grayson, "No Labels or Arizona Independent Party − it’s all branding"

Today, Tuesday, March 3, 2026, the Arizona Republic published a letter by Richard Grayson, "No Labels or Arizona Independent Party − it’s all branding":

Senate Bill 1609 would require the Arizona Independent Party to revert to its previous name, the No Labels Party — the name under which thousands of Arizonans signed a 2023 petition to establish it. That is the practical effect of this bill.The measure does not remove the party from the ballot. It does not raise signature requirements. It does not prevent anyone from registering with the party or running under its banner. Candidates affiliated with it will still face far lower signature thresholds than candidates who run as true independents and bypass party primaries altogether. An unopposed write-in candidate can still win a party nomination with only a plurality of votes.

As a candidate who ran under the No Labels banner, I can attest that the party's ballot access advantages existed before the name change and will remain after it.

Renaming the party “Independent” did not create independence, and restoring the original name will not diminish it. What changes here is branding — not democracy.

Richard Grayson, Apache Junction

Arizona Daily Star publishes letter by Richard Grayson on Arizona Independent/No Labels Party

Today, Friday, February 20, 2026, the Arizona Daily Star published a letter by Richard Grayson titled "Independent" on page A13.

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 Daily Star/Tucson.com publishes letter by Richard Grayson, "Arizona No Labels Party is not Andrew Cuomo’s No Labels"

Today, August 20, 2025, the Arizona Daily Star/Tucson.com published a letter by Richard Grayson, the No Labels Party candidate for Congress in the September 23 special election in Arizona's Seventh Congressional District:

As the first Arizona No Labels Party candidate to appear on the ballot — in the September 23 special election for the state’s 7th Congressional District — I want to make something clear: Arizona’s No Labels Party has no connection with the national group of the same name. That organization has endorsed Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor who resigned in 2021 amid a sexual harassment scandal, in the New York City mayoral race.
Our state party’s new chair, former Phoenix Mayor Paul Johnson, has already emphasized this separation. Although I initially opposed his proposal to change our party’s name, I now realize I was wrong. I do not want to be linked with Andrew Cuomo in any way.
I am a progressive who opposes sexual harassment of women, believing that I share these values with Green Party candidate Eduardo Quintana and Democratic nominee Adelita Grijalva.

Richard Grayson

Richard Grayson Letter Opposing Changing No Labels Party's Name in Arizona Republic

Today, Sunday, August 10, 2025, The Arizona Republic published a letter by Richard Grayson opposing the proposed name change for the Arizona No Labels Party.

Different titles appeared on the versions at AZCentral.com and Yahoo News..

Ballot Access News also had a story by Richard Winger on Grayson's opposition to the proposed name change.

KJZZ radio story "The No Labels Party in Arizona plans to change its name. Critics say it can't do that" mentions Richard Grayson's opposition

Today, Monday, August 4, 2025, KJZZ had a story by Wayne Schutzky, "The No Labels Party in Arizona plans to change its name. Critics say it can't do that," mentioning Richard Grayson's opposition to the proposed name change.

KJZZ Radio Story on Richard Grayson, "Write-in candidate wins No Labels primary election with just 1 vote"

Today, Friday, August 1, 2025, KJZZ published a story by Wayne Schutzky, "Write-in candidate wins No Labels primary election with just 1 vote," about Richard Grayson's candidacy for Congress in the special election in Arizona's Seventh Congressional District.

Richard Grayson Quoted in Arizona Republic Article on Ninth Circuit Ruling Against No Labels Party Ban on Local Candidates

Today, Wednesday, July 16, 2025, Richard Grayson was quoted in an Arizona Republic article by Ray Stern, "No Labels can't block members from running, court rules," reporting on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturning a lower court's ban on No Labels Party members like Grayson from running for office.

Apache Junction resident Richard Grayson, one of the five No Labels candidates who wanted to be on the ballot in 2024, is already slated to run as a write-in candidate under the party's name for the July 15 special election in Arizona's 7th Congressional District.

Grayson is exactly the kind of candidate No Labels would not want. He switched from the Democratic Party to protest No Labels.

"I'm running to spite them," he said.

Arizona Daily Star/Tucson.com publishes letter by Richard Grayson on Arizona Clean Elections Commission

Today, June 4, 2025, the Arizona Daily Star/Tucson.com published a letter by Richard Grayson, the No Labels Party candidate for Congress in the special election in Arizona's Seventh Congressional District:

The Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission purports to be a strictly nonpartisan organization that “seeks to improve the integrity of Arizona state government and promote public confidence in the Arizona political process.” Yet on its website of the current candidates running for U.S. Representative in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District, every Republican and Democratic candidate has their campaign statement from the Arizona Secretary of State’s listing included, while those of the two Green Party candidates and the one No Labels Party candidate (myself) are excluded and do not appear. This is a clear example of what hypocrites this so-called Clean Elections Commission are: They are obviously favoring some candidates over others and should no longer be trusted. Not all Arizona voters are registered with the two major parties.

Richard Grayson

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 Article on No Labels Party Mentions Richard Grayson's Candidacy

Today, September 29, 2023, The Arizona Republic website published "No Labels can't stop candidates and a primary election it doesn't want," a column by Abe Kwok that mentions Richard Grayson's efforts to become an anti-No Labels Arizona No Labels Party candidate:

Arizona statute says, “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.” The operative word being “shall.”

Beyond that, nothing stops someone who is registered with a political party from gathering sufficient nomination signatures to qualify the party’s primary election. The threshold is even easier for new political parties, requiring fewer signatures.

And the threshold is virtually nonexistent for someone like Richard Grayson, one of the two people whom No Labels is trying to block. Grayson, a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat and perennial candidate who describes his candidacy as performance art, plans on running as a write-in candidate.

He said he’s running chiefly to be a thorn in the side of No Labels, whose leadership he believes is helping former President Donald Trump get elected by siphoning votes away from President Joe Biden.

His plan is honed:

• Wait until the deadline for submitting signatures;

• See who qualifies for the ballot;

• Look for an office in which there’s no qualified Democratic candidate;

• and notify the Secretary of State’s Office of his plans to run as a write-in.

His name, along with those of other verified write-in candidates, will be made available on the web and at polling sites come election time. He only needs a few votes to advance. State law requires a plurality of the votes cast for the office. It could be one vote, theoretically.

Grayson has won three Arizona primaries by way of the wr‪ite-in route — twice under the Green Party and once under Americans Elect — with as few as two votes.

Even if not a single person qualifies as a No Labels candidate, everyone registered with No Labels gets a blank ballot (with only a listing of offices up for election) for the August 2024 state primary. And Grayson — unless challenged by another write-in for that yet-to-be-determined office — will represent No Labels.

Party support or not.

 

The column appered in the print Arizona Republic on Saturday, October 7, 2023.

AP Article on Arizona and No Labels Party Mentions Richard Grayson's Efforts As a No Labels Party Candidate

An Associated Press article by Jonathan J. Cooper, "Arizona says No Labels must accept all candidates even if the third party’s leadership opposes them," published today, September 28, 2023, mentions Richard Grayson:

Two potential candidates in Arizona have so far filed to run for office as No Labels party members: Tyson Draper for U.S. Senate and Richard Grayson for the state utility regulator, known as the Corporation Commission.

Grayson, who supports Biden, recently compared his plan to a “performance art piece.”

Alaska election officials also notified Grayson last week that he’ll appear on the primary ballot in that state for U.S. House as a No Labels candidate.

Grayson, a perennial candidate, has previously run for U.S. House in Wyoming despite living in Arizona, noting House candidates are only required to live in the state where they were elected once they take office.

AP Article on Arizona No Labels Party Mentions Richard Grayson and Pinal County No Labels Party Voters for Joe Biden

An Associated Press article by Jonathan J. Cooper, "A third party signed up 15,000 voters in Arizona. Democrats worry that’s enough for a Biden spoiler," published today, September 21, 2023, mentions Richard Grayson:

A perennial candidate from outside Phoenix signed up as a No Labels candidate and declared himself chairman of No Labels’ Pinal County chapter, in part so he could run for state office and try to force the party to follow the state’s campaign finance reporting laws.

“It’s kind of like a performance art piece,” said Richard Grayson, who promptly after switching to No Labels endorsed Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.