Is Joe Manchin Running for President? What We Know, What We Don't

Speculation has risen that West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin may be running for president as a third-party candidate after the conservative Democrat announced he would not be seeking re-election to the Senate.

Manchin confirmed on Thursday he will not run for another term in office and instead will be "traveling the country and speaking out to see if there is an interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle and bring Americans together."

Manchin, alongside Arizona's moderate Democratic turned independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema, has frequently used his Senate votes to hinder a number of President Joe Biden's initiatives.

The decision delivers a major blow to Democrats' hopes of holding on to the Senate in the 2024 elections, with the party having a narrow 51-49 seat majority, which includes three independents who caucus with them. The GOP will see Manchin's seat as one they could easily flip next year as West Virginia is a deep red state where Donald Trump beat Biden by nearly 40 points in the 2020 election.

There are also rumors that the West Virginia senator's direct reference to national campaigning in his retirement video is signaling a presidential bid, potentially adding a new lawyer of concern about Biden's chances in 2024. As a third-party candidate, Manchin could potentially pull votes away from the president who is already facing concerns about his age and poll numbers heading into next year's election.

Manchin has previously appeared at events hosted by the centrist political group No Labels, which has frequently discussed putting up a centrist candidate to run for the White House. Shortly after Manchin announced he would not be seeking re-election to the Senate, a group called America Back on Track filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to form a draft committee designed to encourage Manchin and Utah Sen. Mitt Romney to launch a third-party presidential bid.

The draft was introduced so the pair could announce their White House bid at No Labels' national convention in Texas next March, reported The Associated Press.

However, a spokesperson for Romney, who also recently announced he would not be seeking re-election in 2024, said the Republican is not running for president on any ticket. The No Labels groups also issued a statement saying they have not made a decision on who they will put forward in 2024.

"We are gathering input from our members across the country to understand the kind of leaders they would like to see in the White House," the group said. "As we have said from the beginning, we will make a decision by early 2024 about whether we will nominate a Unity presidential ticket and who will be on it."

Manchin's office has been contacted for comment via email.

The Lincoln Project, a Republican PAC consisting of Trump critics, was one of those who suggested that Manchin leaving the Senate is a prelude to him running for president as a third party candidate.

"Don't be fooled. Joe Manchin is leaving the Senate so that he can run for President with No Labels as a third-party spoiler to President Biden," the group posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Manchin himself has given no real indication that he wants to run as president next year. Those who are close to the senator have stated they can't see the 76-year-old putting himself down as a longshot candidate in the 2024 race.

"I wouldn't say that he can't or won't run, but I know he hasn't run for anything that he doesn't want to win, ever," said Phil Smith, an official at the United Mine Workers of America and an ally of Manchin, told The New York Times.

"If you look at independent candidates for president, even well-known ones, those who started this late never got more than two to three percent of the vote."

Rahna Epting, executive director of MoveOn.org Political Action, a progressive federal PAC, said that Manchin would only succeed in "sending Donald Trump back to the White House" if he ran against Biden in 2024.

"Every independent analyst reaches the same conclusion: a No Labels ticket has no chance of winning a single electoral college vote in any state. Instead, their campaign would only ensure Trump's re-election," Epting posted on X.

"We cannot risk going back to four more years of extremist policies that would destroy our democracy and fundamental freedoms. Joe Manchin should set the record straight on whose side he is on and reject any overtures from No Labels' dangerous ploy."

In a statement, Biden thanked Manchin for working with him to push through some of the president's key policies, including the Inflation Reduction Act, as well as voting to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court.

"The entire Manchin family should feel proud of the Senator's service to West Virginia and to our country," Biden said. "I look forward to continuing our work together to get things done for the American people."