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Joe Manchin announces he will not run for president

Joe Manchin announces he will not run for president
Joe Manchin announces he will not run for president


Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) speaks during a “Politics & Eggs” event at the New Hampshire Institute Politics at St. Anselm College on January 12, 2024 in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Scott Eisen | Getty Images

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced Friday that he is not running for president after spending months mulling a bid that would have shaken up the 2024 campaign.

“I will not be seeking a third-party run. I will not be involved in a presidential run,” Manchin said during a speech. “I will be involved in making sure that we secure a president that has the knowledge and has the passion and has the ability to bring this country together.”

Manchin said that a third party could be viable down the road, but that a bid this year would have been “very challenging.” He added that he didn’t want to be a “deal-breaker” or a “spoiler.”

“I just don’t think it’s the right time,” Manchin said. “We’re on a real teetering situation here that could go either way. Democracy is at stake right now.”

Manchin, 76, had said last November that he would not seek re-election to his Senate seat this year, leading to speculation that he would run for the White House as an independent or as a third-party candidate.

The centrist senator also appeared at events hosted by No Labels, the political group trying to mount a bipartisan, third-party presidential campaign.

In a statement following Manchin’s announcement, former Connecticut Sen. Joe Liberman, former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory and civil rights leader Benjamin Chavis Jr., the national co-chairs of No Labels, said they were speaking with “several exceptional leaders” about a possible presidential ticket.

As recently as Thursday, Manchin was refusing to rule out a White House bid, floating Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and former Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, as potential running mates.

Democrats feared a Manchin candidacy would have pulled votes away from President Joe Biden and boost former President Donald Trump, the 2024 Republican frontrunner, in a general election.

As a Democrat representing a red state, Manchin has long been vocally critical of both major parties, a note he struck once again during his speech to about 80 attendees on Friday.

“I am convinced you can’t fix it from Washington. I’ve tried for 14 years and I saw break last week,” Manchin added, referring the the failed bipartisan border bill. 

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