The No Labels Party in Arizona plans to change its name. Critics say it can't do that

Following a leadership shakeup, the No Labels Party in Arizona is rebranding itself as it seeks to create a viable third-party for centrist and moderate voters, but its unclear whether a plan to change the party’s name is allowed under state law.

Former Phoenix Mayor Paul Johnson, the new chairman of the No Labels Party in Arizona, said the party intends to adopt new bylaws to allow candidates to run under its banner up and down the ballot — a departure from old party leadership, who filed a federal lawsuit to keep down ballot candidates out of the 2024 election.

Those bylaw changes are part of a larger effort to reshape the nascent party, which only qualified to appear on Arizona ballots last year.

“The first thing that we have to do, we have to rename it,” said Johnson. “And so we've in the press release, you'll see that we've asked that people who are in the No Labels Party or people who are independent or unaffiliated — send in names.”

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The No Labels national organization, which spearheaded that legal challenge, confirmed it is no longer affiliated with the No Labels in Arizona.

“No Labels has no ongoing involvement with the Arizona state party,” according to an organization statement provided to KJZZ. “A group of local Arizonans is leading this effort without any affiliation with No Labels. They will change the state party’s name and be responsible for all aspects of the state party’s operations moving forward. We wish them great success in their efforts to build a new, local movement that empowers independent-minded Arizonans.”

Changing the name while retaining No Labels Arizona’s status as a recognized party in the state is a significant part of Johnson’s plan to field centrist candidates in future general elections.

That’s because candidates with party affiliation have a significantly easier time qualifying for the ballot than candidates with no party registration.

“Well, we have a home for them, and we have a place where they can run for office,” Johnson said of candidates that don’t identify with the major political parties.

For instance, an independent candidate needed over 42,000 signatures to qualify for the ballot in a statewide race in 2024. A No Labels candidate would have needed just 1,300.

And Democratic and Republican candidates only needed around 7,000 signatures to qualify for the same race.

But not everyone thinks the No Labels Party state committee should be able to change its name in Arizona.

Richard Grayson, a No Labels candidate in Congressional District 7, said that wouldn’t be fair to the nearly 40,000 Arizonans who made the decision to register as No Labels voters.

Grayson said Johnson shouldn’t be allowed to simply co-opt the existing No Labels Party in Arizona, which already went through the expensive and time consuming process to collect the signatures necessary to become a recognized party in the state.

“I don't find anything in Arizona law that would allow him to do that,” Grayson said. “I think what he's really talking about is starting a new party.”

Anyone who wants to create a new political party that can field candidates in federal, statewide and legislative elections must collect at least 34,127 signatures from Arizona voters to qualify for the ballot, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. Both the New Labels and Green parties went through that process in recent years.

Johnson said he believes the party is allowed to change its name because political parties are considered private organizations, though he acknowledged there is little legal precedent in Arizona.

"The answer to that question is we believe that is entirely up to the party itself, but the party has an obligation to notify the secretary of state," he said.

Johnson said the party has plans to poll and consult with members before picking the name.

Secretary of State Adrian Fontes’ Office confirmed that there are no state laws that specifically deal with a political party seeking to change its name and the office has never dealt with a request like this before.

“It’s novel,” Aaron Thacker, Fontes’ spokesman, said. He said the office will have to consult with its attorneys if and when No Labels Arizona attempts to officially change its name.

The deadline to file for a new political party for the 2026 election is Nov. 27, 2025.