Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced last week that he would not seek reelection to the Senate. However, in an interview on Wednesday, Manchin indicated that he would definitely consider running for the presidency next year.
“I will do anything I can to help my country, and you’re saying, ‘Does that mean you would consider it?’ Absolutely,” Manchin said in an interview on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press.’ “Every American should consider it if they’re in a position to help save the country.”
Manchin plans to launch a nationwide “movement” to energize what he referred to as a “moderate, sensible, commonsense middle.” He explained that his aim is to “reinvigorate” both centrist Democrats and Republicans, and said he is “scared to death” of the possibility of former President Donald Trump winning a second term. According to recent polls, Trump is currently the frontrunner on the Republican ticket.
Some experts say that Manchin’s potential third-party presidential run could prove detrimental for President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut disagrees, however. Murphy told NBC that he is convinced Manchin’s run would be worse for Trump than for Biden.
No Labels, a well funded centrist group, is exploring a possible bipartisan presidential ticket. The organization referred to Manchin this month as a “tireless voice for America’s commonsense majority and a longtime ally of the No Labels movement.” Manchin headlined a No Labels event held earlier this year in New Hampshire – a vital state for early voting.
