NBC
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…
