No Labels, the group that has been promising for months to secure a centrist presidential ticket in the event of a rematch between President Biden and former President Donald J. Trump, is running out of time to recruit a standard-bearer after a series of rejections.

With a number of prominent potential candidates saying no in recent months, some members and leaders of No Labels have become frustrated by the inability to send a ticket forward, according to two people involved with the group and notes provided to The New York Times are provided from a recent meeting. video meeting of No Labels delegates.

Still, the group’s leadership remains hopeful for November, even as the possibility of defeating both Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump outright appears increasingly remote. Its leaders have promoted a far-fetched scenario in which the group could play the role of power broker in the general election if none of the major parties’ candidates achieve an outright majority.

As the group charts a path forward, state ballot deadlines are approaching.

“To be credible, you want to be on the ballot in every state,” former Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia, co-founder of No Labels, said in an interview.

“Although,” he added, “you know Lincoln wasn’t on the ballot 10 statesand he won.”

Before putting together a ticket, Mr. Davis said, “April 15 is kind of a drop-dead date.” The April 15 deadline is important because independent candidates for president can then collect signatures to qualify for the ballot in New York state.

“If you want to vote in New York, that’s what drives you,” he added.

No Labels is currently on the ballot in 18 states, the group says. Last year it said it had already raised $60 million to put forward a so-called “unity ticket” with one Democrat and one Republican. In the fall, the group’s president, Nancy Jacobson, told potential donors and allies that she had committed to choosing a Republican as No Labels’ presidential candidate. No such person has come forward.

Mr. Davis was among those participating in a video conference Tuesday for some of the group’s delegates and leaders, during which Ms. Jacobson said several top picks for the group’s ticket were not interested, according to two people on the call.

These names included retired Admiral William H. McRaven, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former Representative Will Hurd of Texas. Another potential recruit, former Georgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, a Republican, had publicly withdrew his name from consideration on Monday.

Ms. Jacobson told delegates on the videoconference that she had not given up, but that the group’s leaders did not know if they could find a “gladiator” willing to take on the role, according to one of the people who took part. in the meeting.

Ms. Jacobson and a spokeswoman for No Labels did not respond to phone calls, texts or emails.

Several delegates at the video conference expressed disappointment and frustration that no candidate had taken the opportunity to get the ticket. Some tossed out more names for the group to consider: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the independent presidential candidate; Nikki Haley, the former Republican presidential candidate; and David H. Petraeus, the retired general and former CIA director.

Mr. Kennedy did not respond to a request for comment. Ms. Haley, who dropped out of the Republican race earlier this month, has already ruled out a No Labels bid because, she said, she would not accept a Democratic running mate.

General Petraeus said Thursday that he was approached and said no.

Admiral McRaven, Mr. Hurd and Ms. Rice did not immediately return requests for comment.

Later in Tuesday’s videoconference, Mr. Davis led the group through a scenario in which a No Labels ticket could win several states in the general election, depriving Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump of the 270 Electoral College votes needed were to win.

Such an outcome would give cause a contingent election – a constitutional provision whereby the president is elected by the House of Representatives and the vice president by the Senate. Such a scenario has not occurred since the nineteenth century.

According to Mr Davis, representatives of a major party could choose the No Labels candidate over the other party’s candidate. In the interview, Mr. Davis said he discussed the issue on the call to address delegates’ concerns about the possibility. He also said that Mr. Biden provoked such a scenario by, according to Mr. Davis, framing his campaign merely as an attempt to stop Mr. Trump.

“It seems to me that Biden is more interested in stopping Trump than anything else,” Davis said. “Funny things happen. That’s all I can say.”

Any election would be a “stunning disaster,” said William Ewald, a constitutional law scholar at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. “In an election in the current political climate, no matter who won, people would be rioting in the streets, and not figuratively.”

At Tuesday’s videoconference, Mr. Davis — once a fixture of the moderate Republican establishment who has been ostracized by the forces behind Mr. Trump — described how No Labels could intervene before the case even reached Congress.

In his scenario, would-be faithless voters from any number of states could trade their support for “policy concessions” brokered by No Labels.

On the videoconference and again during the interview, Mr. Davis cited the 1876 election and its aftermath as an example of how this year’s election could go if none of the major party candidates collected 270 electoral votes, or if voters refuse to support the elections. candidates in the electoral college.

In that election, after no clear winner emerged, an election board ultimately awarded the disputed votes to Rutherford B. Hayes, a Republican, in an arrangement made possible by the Compromise of 1877, in which the Republicans agreed to federal withdraw troops from the southern states. Reconstruction.

Third Way, a Democratic group that does that has repeatedly raised concerns on No Labels called the group’s flirting with such a plan a serious threat to democracy.

“It is impossible to overstate how chaotic and dangerous it would be if any party in this election were to deliberately attempt to organize contingent elections that would lead to massive confusion and perhaps political violence,” said Matt Bennett, co-founder of Third Way.

As recently as January, No Labels was still canvassing prominent current and former politicians, including Bill Haslam, a Republican and former governor of Tennessee; Jon Huntsman, a Republican and former governor of Utah; Larry Hogan, a Republican and former governor of Maryland; and Sen. Joe Manchin III, the conservative West Virginia Democrat who is not seeking re-election.

Mr. Haslam never considered accepting No Labels’ invitation, according to a person briefed on the discussion. In February, Mr. Hogan announced a plan to run for Maryland’s open Senate seat. A week later, Mr. Manchin ruled out running for president.

The energy on Michigan college campuses ahead of the 2022 midterms was electric, according to students.

Armed with promises to protect abortion rights, Democratic candidates held large campus meetings, drawing crowds ready to cheer rather than protest. On election day, students showed up in droves, resulting in the highest turnout of young people of any state, allowing Democrats to gain full control of Michigan’s government for the first time in decades.

But ahead of the Democratic presidential primaries on Tuesday, the energy appears to have turned to apathy or anger. Young activists have been at the forefront of the ongoing resistance to President Biden’s unwavering support for Israel and its military campaign in Gaza, which began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. The protest against US policies culminated in an attempt to encourage residents to vote ‘unfettered’. to send a message to Mr Biden in the crucial state for the general election.

Interviews with more than two dozen students across the state pointed to a deeper source of dissatisfaction, not just with the sitting president, but also with the prospect of having to choose again for decades between two candidates — Mr. Biden and former President Donald J. Trump. older than her.

“There was a tense atmosphere on campus,” said Adam Lacasse, co-chair of the University of Michigan College Democrats. “If many people are not dissatisfied with what is going on, with the way the government is handling this conflict, they have turned away from politics because they don’t want to get involved.”

National polls have been reflecting a similar sentiment for months, with voters under the age of 30 backing Mr. Biden more than 20 points in 2020 are not enthusiastic about a rematch between Mr Biden and Mr Trump, who is heavily favored in Tuesday’s Republican primaries.

But for some young people in Michigan and elsewhere, Mr. Biden’s alignment with Israel has raised a new concern. Voters under 30 overwhelmingly voiced their opposition to the conflict in a New York Times/Siena College poll in December, saying Israel had not done enough to prevent civilian casualties in Gaza and that the military campaign should end.

Many Michigan students described the conflict as virtually inescapable, regardless of their position on the foreign policy issue. Campus protests have become commonplace and coverage of the war has dominated their social media feeds.

Hussein Bazzi, 24, a student at Wayne State University, said he would vote “uncommitted” to send a message to Mr. Biden: “that we want an immediate ceasefire.” Mr. Bazzi endorsed Mr. Biden in 2020 but is unsure whether he will do so again in November. “If that isn’t a clear message to him,” he said, “then I don’t know what is.”

Biden is still expected to easily win Tuesday’s primaries. But the strength of his opposition will be closely watched as a signal about his support heading into November.

A poll commissioned by The Detroit News and WDIV-TV in January showed that 15.6 percent of Michigan voters 18 to 29 had a positive view of Mr. Biden.

“If you’re a Democratic incumbent running for re-election, young voters are a vital part of your coalition, and that’s why the numbers we’re finding in Michigan show that Joe Biden is really on kind of a dangerous path right now, said Richard Czuba, an independent pollster in Lansing, Michigan, who said Mr. Biden’s age was the main cause of dissatisfaction.

Several leaders of Michigan’s College Democrats said they were concerned that young people were simply not excited about 2024. Even a small slip in Biden’s coalition, with voters staying home, could hurt his chances.

“I’m certainly not going to sugarcoat it: I’m personally nervous,” said Liam Richichi, vice president of College Democrats at Michigan State University. He added that students seemed “bored by the prospects we have.”

“I’ve spoken to a lot of people in the club, and something we’re actively trying to work on is the likelihood of low voter turnout in the elections,” he added, suggesting the group could emphasize ‘ down-ballot races’ such as Senate elections. in November.

The Biden campaign deployed some surrogates before Tuesday to reach young people: Rep. Sara Jacobs of California held a discussion at the University of Michigan, and Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland led a virtual meeting with students.

Alyssa Bradley, communications director for the Biden campaign in Michigan, said Mr. Biden has taken “historic action to support young Americans,” pointing to his endorsement of climate policies, millions in student loan forgiveness and his support for abortion access , which she said was a “stark contrast” with Mr. Trump.

“Our rights, our future and our democracy are at stake in this election, and we will continue to engage young people to prevent Donald Trump from returning to the White House, just as we did in 2020,” she said.

But some young people said in interviews that they were unaware of the president’s performance on issues they cared about, part of a messaging challenge that the campaign has tried to address by expanding its digital presence . (Mr. Biden posted his first TikTok post this month.)

“I recognize America’s right to vote, but we also have the right not to, especially if you disagree with one of the candidates,” said Aiden Duong, a 19-year-old student at Michigan State. is not part of the ‘uncommitted’ effort. He said he did not plan to support Mr. Trump or Mr. Biden in November, citing their ages and what he saw as inaction on climate change, a major issue for him.

Listen to Michigan, the group of mostly young organizers pushing for a “non-committed” protest vote, has tried to capitalize on Democratic discontent by showing up on campuses, but has sometimes struggled to reach that audience. The primaries are taking place during a week when many Michigan students are on spring break and many students still on campus were unaware of the election.

About 100 people finally showed up last week for a “voluntary” meeting at the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus. Organizers encouraged attendees to stand in a large circle to take up more space. A march to the polls organized by Listen to Michigan at Kalamazoo College drew about 15 students Saturday.

Mr Biden said on Monday he hoped for a ceasefire within the next week. But some students who support the effort say nothing will change their opinion of Mr. Biden. Salma Hamamy, a University of Michigan student who has organized pro-Palestinian protests there, said that despite her support for Biden in 2020, she would not do so again.

“For me, he is beyond redemption – he has lost my vote, because voting for him basically means saying I agree with his actions,” said Ms Hamamy, 22. “If that means Trump gets elected, I blame the Democratic Party for allowing this to happen.”

However, students who support Mr. Biden argue that even as their peers remain skeptical, closely comparing the two candidates will be enough to win over young people as November approaches.

Immaculata James, co-chair of the College Democrats at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan, pointed to the Biden administration’s work in areas like college debt relief and health care costs in encouraging students to ask, “Even if it’s not So, It is a very exciting election, but ultimately what does your future look like under Trump versus under Biden?”

Donovan Greene, a senior at Kalamazoo College who attended the Listen to Michigan walk to the polls, said she supported Mr. Biden in 2020, calling him the “lesser of two evils” but voted “not committed” in the primaries because of his Israel policy.

But Ms Greene said that in her “last desperate moments” she would consider backing him again in November, saying: “The changes that have taken place socially and economically in the US under Donald Trump’s presidency have been unequivocal which I do not want to see. .”

Odysseus, the American robotic spacecraft that landed on the moon last week, will likely die in the coming day.

Communication with the overturned lander remains limited and will end when sunlight no longer shines on its solar panels, Intuitive Machines, the Houston-based company that built and operates Odysseus, said Monday morning.

The company has also released images taken by the spacecraft during its descent, but none yet of the surface.

Odysseus is the first American spacecraft to land on the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972, and the first private spacecraft to ever successfully land there in one piece. However, during landing on Thursday evening, the approximately 4.5 meter long lander appeared to have traveled faster than planned and ultimately fell on its side.

As a result, the antennas are not pointed toward Earth, significantly slowing the speed at which data can be returned. While some of Odysseus’ solar panels were initially bathed in sunlight, they will soon be in shadow as the sun moves across the sky. That will starve the spacecraft of energy, and the batteries will die.

“Flight controllers plan to collect data until the lander’s solar panels are no longer exposed to light,” says Intuitive Machines posted on X. “Based on the positioning of the Earth and moon, we believe flight controllers will continue to communicate with Odysseus until Tuesday morning.”

Flight controllers now know exactly where Odysseus is on the moon. On Saturday, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter took a photo as it flew over the landing site, revealing a speck that was not there in an earlier image the orbiter had taken of the area.

Odysseus landed within about a mile of his intended landing site – with higher precision than most previous landers. That feat was even more impressive because Intuitive Machines engineers had to patch the spacecraft’s software to bypass malfunctioning lasers that were supposed to track the spacecraft’s altitude.

Intuitive Machines said Odysseus was also able to detect nine safe landing sites in the Antarctic region, information that could be useful for future missions as NASA and other space agencies want to explore that region. Frozen water in the shadows of craters could one day provide crucial resources for astronauts there.

As Odysseus faded away, another lunar lander unexpectedly came back to life. JAXA, the Japanese space agency, reported Monday that its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, revived. SLIM successfully landed on the moon in January. Due to the failure of one of the two engines, it moved sideways upon landing and, like Odysseus, tilted in an unexpected direction with the solar panels in the shade.

SLIM came to life a few days later when sunlight hit some panels, but fell asleep again as the two-week moon night descended. The spacecraft was not designed to survive the frigid temperatures, which dropped below -200 degrees Fahrenheit.

But now that the sun was back in the sky, SLIM’s solar panels generated enough energy to charge the batteries and reconnect with the earth. Temperatures were so high that communications ended shortly afterwards, JAXA said.

However, JAXA said it planned to resume SLIM scientific surveys of the surrounding terrain once temperatures drop.