Manchin out of race for president
WASHINGTON — West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin announced on Friday that he is not running for president, saying he didn’t want to be a “spoiler.”
“I will not be seeking a third-party run,” he said in a speech at
West Virginia University.
“I will not be involved in a presidential run. 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.”
The speech was billed as part of a national listening tour Mr. Manchin announced when he decided not to seek another Senate term. He told the Morgantown audience that he had no interest in being “a dealbreaker, if you will, a spoiler, whatever you want to call it.”
“I just don’t think it’s the right time.”
The centrist Democrat who often bucked his party’s leadership had been considering a run for the presidency and had said he thought it would be clear by March if there was a path for a third-party candidate. He said in the speech that he thought a third-party bid might be viable at some point “but right now it’s really challenging.”
His decision comes as leaders of No Labels, a movement that could offer an independent presidential ticket in 2024, has worked privately to identify serious candidates. Mr. Manchin was viewed as one of the top prospects.
Mr. Manchin is not running for reelection in 2024. His Senate seat in a heavily Republican state is expected to be a prime pickup opportunity for the GOP.
Mr. Manchin, the only Democrat holding statewide office in West Virginia, has been at odds with his own party over his support for coal and other fossil fuels. With the Democrats holding a slim majority in the Senate, Mr. Manchin wielded considerable influence to shape legislation and diluted much of President Joe Biden’s social spending plans.
After Mr. Manchin announced last year that he would not run for re-election, he said he planned to travel the country “to see if there is an interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle and bring Americans together.”
He visited New Hampshire in January. He is scheduled to speak in Arizona, a political battleground state, on Saturday.
No Labels said Friday that it welcomed the senator’s efforts to strengthen “America’s commonsense majority.”
“No Labels is currently speaking with several exceptional leaders about serving on the presidential Unity ticket. We are continuing to make great progress on our ballot access efforts and will announce in the coming weeks whether we will offer our line to a Unity ticket,” said the co-chairs of No Labels, former Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, former head of the NAACP Benjamin Chavis Jr., and former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory.
Democratic Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips said last month that he would consider running on a No Labels ticket, though he is still challenging Mr. Biden in the Democratic primaries.
Another leading No Labels prospect, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, last week ruled out a 2024 presidential bid as well.