Manchin says changing mind on retirement ‘long-shot scenario’

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin (D) said in a new interview that he’s still planning on retiring despite Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) reported entreaties that he reconsider his decision not to run for reelection.

“I think that’s a long, long, long-shot scenario,” Manchin told CNN’s Manu Raju. “So I don’t anticipate that happening.

“I don’t anticipate running.”

Manchin announced in early November that he would retire from the Senate and last month ruled out the possibility of launching a third-party bid for president.

Since then, Manchin hasn’t been in the news much, a dramatic contrast to the first two years of the Biden administration when he was a pivotal vote for passing the Democratic agenda through the 50-50 split Senate.

With Manchin out of the West Virginia Senate race, Republicans are expected to pick up his seat easily.

Former President Trump won the state with 68.6 percent of the vote in 2020 and 67.9 percent in 2016.

Manchin said last year that he planned to finish his term while traveling the country and speaking out “to see if there is interest in building a movement to mobilize the middle, find common ground, and bring Americans together.”

Those comments prompted intense media speculation that he would run for president as a candidate packed by the group No Labels.

He finally decided against running for president last month, telling constituents that he would instead “be involved in making sure that we secure a president that has the knowledge and has the passion and has the ability to bring this country together.”