Exclusive: Draft Romney/Manchin Committee demands transparency from skeptics
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Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) speaks to a reporter during a vote on Sept. 30 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
A political action committee that wants Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to run as a third-party presidential ticket in 2024 is calling for more transparency from its skeptics.
Why it matters: The committee argues that voters should know "who is backing and bankrolling" efforts to block a third-party ticket from forming, per an adviser with direct knowledge of the group's plans.
- The PAC does not have ties to Romney or Manchin, or the deep-pocketed centrist group No Labels.
Driving the news: The Draft Romney/Manchin Committee, which formed earlier this month, will also vow Wednesday to be transparent about who is funding their group, per an announcement shared exclusively with Axios.
- "Today, the Draft Romney/Manchin Committee has requested disclosure of the 2022 funding for all groups that oppose a bipartisan centrist ticket," committee chair Jennifer Franks said in a statement.
Between the lines: The committee is requesting that more than 20 C3 and C4 organizations disclose their Form 990s from 2022.
- Form 990s can "detail how organizations have carried out their public interest mission and disclose executive pay, as well as grantmaking and fundraising activities," per ProPublica.
- 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations do not have to publicly disclose their donors, but they are required to release their organization's Form 990s if requested.
Zoom out: The Draft Romney/Manchin Committee is circulating an online petition to encourage the two senators to run on a bipartisan ticket with Romney as president and Manchin as vice president.
- If they agree, they'd compete at the No Labels nominating convention in April.
- The online petition as of Wednesday morning had about 1,000 signatures.
- Manchin announced his retirement from the Senate earlier this month, stoking speculation about a presidential bid.
- Romney's Senate chief of staff, Liz Johnson, said in a statement to the Deseret News that he was "not aware" of the draft committee and "is not considering running for president on any ticket."
What to watch: The Draft Romney/Manchin Committee plans to use its fundraising to run state-level polling to determine if there is a path to victory for Romney and Manchin, the group said in a press release.
- No Labels, which doesn't disclose its donors publicly, has said it could announce a possible presidential ticket at a convention in April.
Go deeper: Inside the White House's No Labels strategy
