U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has long been at the center of speculation regarding whether he is planning to mount a third-party White House campaign ahead of November’s general election.
My conversation with Sen. Joe Manchin about his political future.
"I'm open to whatever it takes to save the country." pic.twitter.com/1nQRms2ukf
— Reshad Hudson (@ReshadHudson) January 25, 2024
Such rumors were bolstered by his decision not to seek re-election to his current position and his latest remarks about President Joe Biden only added to the intrigue.
During a recent interview, Manchin confirmed that he could “absolutely” envision himself being elected president. He went on to complain that “far, far-left liberals” had taken control of the Biden administration, noting that he is concerned about another Biden term despite his belief that the president is a “good, decent man.”
Furthermore, Manchin emphasized his outsized influence in a narrowly divided Senate as a major factor in convincing Biden to shift to a more moderate position on multiple issues.
In light of Biden’s historically bad approval rating and polls showing that he is on pace to lose in a rematch against former President Donald Trump, the West Virginia Democrat said that the current trajectory of the 2024 presidential race is “very much concerning to every human being and every person who basically loves the country that we have and the life that we have and trying to have a future for our children and future generations.”
Following Biden’s win as a write-in candidate in last week’s New Hampshire primary, Manchin signaled that he would be paying close attention to future votes as he weighs his options.
“Super Tuesday pretty much confirms whatever is going to happen, what we believe will happen, and we’ll see where we go from there,” he said. “But people are looking for options and we’re going to be looking at that, too. Whether it’s me or whoever it may be, I think there’s going to be other options available if it goes down the way it’s going down.”
Manchin, who has addressed his belief that the nation’s centrists should unite behind a cohesive movement, has been a prominent choice for the “No Labels” political organization that similarly endorses a moderate ideology.
After he announced that he would not be running for another term, No Labels issued a statement declaring: “Senator Joe Manchin is a tireless voice for America’s commonsense majority and a longtime ally of the No Labels movement. The Senate will lose a great leader when he leaves, but we commend Senator Manchin for stepping up to lead a long overdue national conversation about solving America’s biggest challenges, including inflation, an insecure border, out-of-control debt and growing threats from abroad.”
