Manchin made headlines earlier this year when he left the Democrat Party. Now he’s got some bigger news in store.
And Joe Manchin made a 2024 announcement that is turning heads.
The nation is still reeling after Joe Biden decided (or was forced) to end his re-election bid.
But now the question remains: who is going to replace Joe Biden?
So far, Biden has come out in support of Kamala Harris, and many others are backing her.
Notably, Barack Obama has not chosen to support her, so there could be others.
But Senator Joe Manchin dismissed the idea of challenging Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic presidential nomination on Monday, stating, “I don’t need that in my life.”
The veteran West Virginian, who shifted his allegiance from Democrat to independent earlier this year, quelled speculation about his potential run against Harris in November’s election during a CBS interview.
“I’m not running for office,” Manchin asserted.
“I’m not going to be a candidate for president … I don’t need that in my life,” he reiterated, advocating instead for a contested primary.
At 76, Manchin urged President Biden to withdraw from the race, just hours before the 81-year-old president announced his decision to step aside.
Speaking as an independent, Manchin, once a moderate Democrat, emphasized he represented the middle ground in the country’s politics, and that victory for either party hinged on securing that middle ground.
“Joe Biden emerged from a highly contested primary in 2020, gaining traction as a moderate figure. He navigated the middle ground, making deals with both the right and the left,” Manchin said.
He suggested that a primary could also benefit Kamala Harris, strengthening her position.
“But that’s already been predetermined, so we’ll see what happens. I think it’s a mistake, but it’s one that they have made,” he commented.
Reiterating his stance against running for president, Manchin expressed disbelief at the lack of a primary election.
“Other countries do it,” he noted, criticizing the silence on the issue.
“Why is everyone afraid to speak out? Why are they afraid to say ‘This system is wrong’? The Democratic Party has gone too far left. The Republican Party has Donald Trump on the far right. People are looking in the middle, where do you go?”
Manchin continued to voice his frustrations, lamenting the absence of a robust primary process.
“No one else is willing to speak up. They just say, ‘We’re falling behind, we’re going to get in line.’ I’m sorry, I don’t agree with that.”
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
