West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin holds a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in November 2021.Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty
Democratic Sen.Joe Manchinannounced on Friday that he “will not be involved in” a third-party presidential campaign, shutting down months of speculation that he may sabotageJoe Biden’s reelection bid.
“I just don’t think it’s the right time,” Manchin said during a speech. “Democracy is at stake right now.”
The moderate West Virginia senator — who recentlydecided that he will leave Congresswhen his term ends in January — has expressed dissatisfaction with Presidents Biden and Trump, and publicly entertained the idea of throwing his own hat in the ring as an alternative option for similarly skeptical voters.
The idea of a Manchin-led presidential ticket unnerved Democrats, who felt that an independent challenge would siphon more votes from Biden than Trump.
Sen. Joe Manchin, President Joe Biden.
In November, Manchin, 76, said he was “having a hard time” deciding his plans for the future, telling reporters during an event in Charleston: “The two-party system, unless it changes, will be the downfall of our country," theAssociated Pressreported.
In January, when asked again if he would consider joining a third-party ticket, Manchin suggested that he needs to see how the primary elections play out first.
Amid the presidential buzz in late January, Manchin’s wife, Gayle Conelly Manchin, was hospitalized in Alabama for a few days after she wasinvolved in a car accidentwhile traveling for business. She returned to West Virginia later the same week to continue her recovery,telling PEOPLEat the time she was “healing and feeling very thankful.”
Manchin was the governor of West Virginia from 2005 until 2010, when he was elected to the Senate in a special election. His tenure in Congress has courted controversy among fellow Democrats, as he’s repeatedlyblocked the party’s agendato appease his conservative voter base. With his Senate spot opening up in a deeply red state, Republicans expect to reclaim his seat.
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source: people.com
