(GoRealNewsNow.com) – The 2024 presidential election field seems to be getting truly crowded, especially with third-party and independent candidates, as, in a new blow to President Joe Biden’s reelection chances, dissenting Democrat US Senator Joe Manchin has made it clear he’s mulling a White House run.
In an interview with NBC News journalist Kristen Welker(see below), Manchin (D-WV), who recently announced he wouldn’t seek reelection for a fourth Senate term in 2024, indicated he might be running for president.
“I will do anything I can to help my country. And you say, ‘Does that mean you would consider [running for president]?’ Absolutely,” Manchin declared, as cited by The Daly Caller.
This statement marks a shift from his previous ambiguity on the subject. In an interview with CBS News just a day earlier, Manchin had deflected questions about his presidential intentions.
In that interview, he said there was “plenty of time” for a third-party candidate to emerge but clarified, “It’s not about me.”
Speculation about Manchin’s potential candidacy has been mounting, especially after his participation in a July event organized by the centrist group No Labels.
This speculation gained further traction following his announcement that he would not seek reelection in 2024, a move widely expected to result in his Senate seat turning red.
In his conversation with Welker, Manchin expressed a commitment to bolstering the moderate, centrist political stance, spanning both center-left and center-right ideologies.
“I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure, and mobilize that moderate, sensible, common-sense middle. That could be a center-left, center-right,” the moderate West Virginia Democrat said.
He said he was partly motivated by concerns about former President Donald Trump possibly securing a second term.
“I’m totally, absolutely scared to death that Donald Trump will become president again. I think we will lose democracy as we [know] it. And my reason for saying that. You can’t normalize this visceral hatred. Calling people names and attacking people. You can’t basically think the only fair election is the one you win. And the only laws pertain to anybody but you. That’s not the country we are,” Manchin explained.
Additionally, Manchin expressed disappointment with President Joe Biden, whom he believes has been unduly influenced to adopt more left-leaning policies.
“The bottom line is that’s not the Joe Biden that we thought was being elected, to go that far left,” the senator concluded.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), who announced last week he is not seeking reelection, tells NBC News he will “absolutely” consider running for president — his most candid acknowledgment of a potential third-party 2024 bid so far. pic.twitter.com/Xr4DzuL9Kh
— The Recount (@therecount) November 15, 2023