Senator Joe Manchin announces he won’t run for US president in 2024
- The West Virginia lawmaker said he was not going to be a ‘deal-breaker’ or ‘spoiler’, as he revealed his decision not to make a third-party bid
- Manchin, a Democrat who often bucked party leadership, had been considering a White House run after announcing he would not be seeking re-election to Congress
West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin said on Friday that he is not running for president, according to his spokesman Jonathan Kott.
Manchin announced his decision in a speech at West Virginia University, as part of a national listening tour he was making.
“I will not be seeking a third-party run. I will not be involved in a presidential run,” Manchin said in his speech in Morgantown. “I am not going to be a deal-breaker, if you will, a spoiler, or whatever you want to call it. I just don’t think it’s the right time.”
“Democracy is at stake right now,” he said.
The centrist Democrat who often bucked his party’s leadership had been considering a run for the presidency and had said he thought it would be clear by March if there was a path for a third-party candidate this year.
His decision comes as the leadership of No Labels, a national political movement that could offer an independent presidential ticket in 2024, has worked privately to identify serious candidates to represent the group in the general election. Manchin was viewed as one of the top prospects.
