Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., made talk show rounds both locally and nationally Monday morning where he quashed rumors — at least for now — that he has any intention to enter the presidential race in the wake of President Joe Biden announcing Sunday that he will not be seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination for president.
Manchin, who was one of the state’s longest serving and most notable Democrats until changing his party registration to unaffiliated in May, told MetroNews “Talkline” on Monday that he was a “hard no” on rejoining the Democratic Party to seek the country’s highest office.
The denial followed multiple national news organizations — among them CNN, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Hill and CBS News — reporting that Manchin was considering re-registering as a Democrat and campaigning for the Party’s nomination.
The statement on Monday was a rare direct answer from Manchin regarding campaign plans. While he announced in November that he would not be seeking reelection to the Senate, Manchin has made a habit of teasing the possibilities of different runs for office over recent years.
Earlier this year, in the lead up to his party switch, rumors circulated for weeks that Manchin could enter the gubernatorial race against Republican Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and Huntington Mayor Steve Williams.
Last year, as the 2024 primary approached, there were talks nationally that Manchin would enter the race for president as an independent. In 2020, he teased a gubernatorial bid against Republican Gov. Jim Justice, who he helped elect as a Democrat in 2016.
Manchin told “Talkline,” and other news shows on Monday, that he wanted to see a “new generation” of politicians take the reins in the country.
“I’m not in the new generation, I’ve been around for a while …,” Manchin said. “I’m retiring. I hope I get to spend more time in West Virginia, which I desperately need and enjoy. So that’s what I’m looking forward to. I don’t know what the next chapter of my life is but I’m going to be involved [in national politics] …”
Manchin continued, saying he planned to remain involved because of the work that needs to be done to reach independent and moderate voters across the country. Over the last few months, Manchin has been focusing nationally on efforts to “unite the middle” of America, lambasting both sides of the political aisle for what he has called extremist views and political stances.
As Biden drops out of the presidential race and clears the path for Vice President Kamala Harris’ run, Manchin said he could not at this time endorse Harris due to her being “too far to the left.”
He said he wants to see Harris — who is the nation’s first female vice president and the first Black and Asian-American vice president — shift to “the center” to appeal more broadly to voters nationwide.
“If she doesn’t,” Manchin said, “she’ll get beat like a drum [in November].”
State Democratic Party Chair supports Harris
At the state level, Democratic Party Chairman Del. Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, said he respects and admires Manchin and thinks his voice needs to be heard within the Democratic Party, but he disagreed with his statements about Harris.
“I think we have a great candidate in Vice President Harris,” Pushkin said. “She has been part of this administration that has made unprecedented investment into this part of the country, and through their work on the Inflation Reduction Act, we are seeing investment in the energy sector in West Virginia that has led to growth in jobs. And all these ribbon cuttings and groundbreakings that Republicans like [Gov.] Jim Justice like to go pose in front of? Well, the real work was done by this administration – President. Biden, Vice President Harris. She is the logical choice for president.”
Del. Kayla Young, D-Young, a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, said Monday she is excited for the future of Democrats across the country. The news of Biden dropping out of the race and Harris running will reinvigorate the party, she said. Young had previously called on Biden to end his campaign for reelection.
“I’m excited that the vice president is running,” Young said. “I mean she was on the ticket when 14 million [voters] cast their vote in the primary. And so we know her, and I think she’s ready to lead.”
Pushkin said party leaders on Monday were polling members of the state delegation to the Democratic convention to see who they’ll endorse for president. A statement is expected later Monday.
Harris on Monday had not announced her pick for a running mate.
Young said she hopes the vice presidential nominee will be someone from Appalachia, like Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear or North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.
“I’m just hopeful that it’s somebody from our neck of the woods that understands Appalachia and what we need,” Young said. “And I think there’s a lot of really good candidates in our surrounding states.”
WV GOP leaders want Biden out of office
West Virginia Republican leaders are joining their colleagues nationally in expressing concerns with Biden finishing the remainder of his time in office.
In a statement Monday, the state GOP chairman Matt Herridge said the Republicans are “energized and ready to win big” in the election. He questioned why Biden’s decline was ignored “for so long.” He questioned whether the president is fit to serve out the remainder of his term.
Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, a Republican candidate for governor of West Virginia, called on Harris to invoke the 25th amendment to the constitution, which would allow the vice president to issue a declaration that the president is unfit to continue in office.
“President Biden’s cognitive decline is of great concern to Americans, especially during these times that our nation is facing crisis after crisis both here and abroad,” Morrisey said in the statement. “We need a president who is mentally fit.”
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito said in a statement that Biden should resign.
“We live in a dangerous world and deserve a commander in chief who is up for the rigors of the job,” Capito said. “If President Biden feels that he is not capable of making it through the demands of a campaign, then how could he be capable of serving out the rest of his term as president?”
This article originally appeared on West Virginia Watch and can be found here.
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