The 2024 elections are already doling out surprises. It’s almost impossible to predict what’s going to happen next.
And a former Democrat announced their 2024 election plans and Washington, D.C. is stunned.
The political world was shocked last week when Sen. Joe Manchin (WV) announced that he was leaving the Democrat Party and becoming an independent.
Before this announcement, it was widely rumored that Manchin would run as a third-party candidate for president this year.
But he shot those rumors down several months ago.
However, Manchin has also announced that he has “no intentions of running for political office” or obtaining one again for the time being.
“Me identifying now as an independent, which I’ve always been independent but changing my registration so as I transition six months from now, I’m going to be helping with Americans Together and my daughter,” Manchin said to reporters. “The brands are so toxic here in America.”
“I’ve been voting independently like this for the last 13 years.”
The West Virginia senator, who’s 76 years old, is not running for reelection this year but still found it important to change his party registration and switch to an independent.
“Our national politics are broken, and neither party is willing to compromise to find common ground,” Manchin said after he registered as an independent last week.
“To stay true to myself and remain committed to putting country before party, I have decided to register as an independent with no party affiliation and continue to fight for America’s sensible majority.”
My commitment to do everything I can to bring our country together has led me to register as an independent with no party affiliation. pic.twitter.com/tvMB2N87AW
— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) May 31, 2024
Manchin did explain that even though he said he has no plans of running for office again, he knows not to count anything out for good.
“You never close any doors. I understand that too. I’ve been around for a long time, and you never say never because you never know, especially in the toxic political world that we live in,” the senator said to the Washington Examiner.
There was talk that Manchin might run for governor of West Virginia as an independent this year.
But the senator has shut those rumors down basically for good with his recent comments about not running for office again and sticking with his endorsement of Steve Williams, the mayor of Huntington, West Virginia.
So as Joe Manchin finishes up his term in the Senate, he’ll look into transitioning into his role with the organization Americans Together, which seeks to unify the country.
“My intentions are to transition into Americans Together, trying to bring the country together, understanding why we’re limited on the people that we have on the ballot to vote for in general elections.”
Unless a major surprise occurs, it looks like the 2024 presidential field won’t get any more crowded with Sen. Manchin’s presence as an independent candidate.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
