Manchin: ‘I am not running for office’

Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) said Monday that he is not running for office in the wake of speculation that he would pursue the Democratic presidential nomination after President Biden dropped his reelection bid Sunday.

“I’m not running for office,” Manchin told “CBS Mornings” on Monday, adding, “I’m not looking. … I don’t need that in my life.”

“Let me make it very clear to you: I am not going to be a candidate for president,” he added.

Manchin’s remarks come less than a day after reports surfaced that he was considering reregistering as a Democrat to run against Vice President Harris, who was endorsed by Biden to replace him on the ticket.

The West Virginia lawmaker called for a miniprimary and said he “could not believe” such a process was not going to take place.

“People are looking in the middle. Where do you? Well, we’d like to see that. We’re not going to be able to see a vigorous, even a three-week primary process,” Manchin said. “No one else is willing to speak up. They’ll say, ‘Well, we’re falling behind. We’re just going to get in line.’ I’m sorry, I don’t agree with that.”

Manchin said there are several topics worth discussing, pointing to border security.

His comments to CBS marked his most definitive answer regarding a potential presidential bid, after stopping short of confirmation on CNN just moments earlier.

When asked on CNN if he will run against Harris for the Democratic nomination, he said, “I don’t think that. I don’t know. I just — we’ll see.”

He also called for “going through some sort of process” to pick the strongest candidate and ruled out serving as Harris’s vice president.

A longtime Democrat known for his centrist views, Manchin switched to became an independent in May and floated a primary bid against Biden, but ultimately decided against it.

He is not seeking reelection in the Senate this November.

Biden withdrew from the 2024 election Sunday, setting an end date for a 50-year-long political career.

It followed a tumultuous month for the president, whose poor debate showing against former President Trump last month fueled concerns for some within the Democratic Party over his viability as a candidate.

The president said he will address the nation later this week to discuss his decision to ultimately drop out, which he announced in a letter posted to social media.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote in the letter.

Hours before Biden released the letter, Manchin became the fifth senator to call on the incumbent to leave the presidential race.

“I came to the decision with a heavy heart that I think it’s time to pass the torch to a new generation,” Manchin told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”

Updated at 8:27 a.m. ET