(USNewsBreak.com) – Political pundits have recently talked a lot about who the presidential candidates will likely be in November. For most, the decision already seems apparent — incumbent President Joe Biden on the Left, former commander-in-chief Donald Trump on the Right, and a few independents. Another prominent name in DC has popped up lately: Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV). However, despite ongoing speculation about his 2024 plans, Manchin has finally come out and revealed he’s not going to run for president.
While speaking in Morgantown, West Virginia on Friday, February 16, Manchin said he has no intention of pursuing a third-party run, as many rumored he might. According to The Guardian, he said he didn’t want to be a “spoiler” in the likely race between Biden and Trump.
This announcement came just one day after he floated the idea of running for president, and even touched on hypothetical running mates. Manchin, who is on a “listening tour,” appeared in Cleveland, Ohio, on Thursday, where he sort of skirted around the question of whether he’d consider a presidential run but discussed potential running mates.
Both of the names the West Virginia senator tossed out at the time were Republicans. Even though Manchin is a Democrat, he often rides the moderate line and has, in recent times, sided more with Republicans, particularly when it comes to throwing jabs at Biden.
“Hypothetically, if I was picking my running mate, really who I would ask right now is Mitt Romney,” Sen. Manchin says. https://t.co/YNZf28MTAd
— NBC News (@NBCNews) February 15, 2024
One of the names Manchin brought up was Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT). Romney recently said he was not running for reelection again but didn’t say he was retiring. Then, he mentioned former Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), whom he called “a dear friend of mine” and “a good man.”
There was a bit of worry that Manchin would announce his candidacy and that by placing his name on the ticket, he would draw supporters away from Biden and effectively split the vote, which could result in another potential win for Trump, should he secure the Republican nomination.
However, it seems like Manchin is planning to stay out of the race this year.
Copyright 2024, USNewsBreak.com
