Manchin not running for president

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) announced Friday that he will not run for president, ending long-running speculation that he would mount a third-party bid.

“I will not be seeking a third-party run. I will not be involved in a presidential run,” Manchin said in remarks at West Virginia University. 

“I will 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,” he said.  

The West Virginia senator, one of the most moderate Democrats in the Senate, already announced that he would not seek another term for his Senate seat, but he had previously not ruled out running for president.

The potential bid had spurred fears among Democrats that Manchin could’ve taken votes away from President Biden and acted as a spoiler.

Manchin had appeared at events for the organization No Labels, which is overseeing a ballot access initiative for a potential independent bid in November.

Spokesperson Jon Kott confirmed Manchin’s plans ahead of his Friday remarks. 

The national co-chairs for No Labels — former Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), Benjamin Chavis and former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R) — told The Hill in a statement that the group is speaking with “several exceptional leaders” about serving on a unity ticket.

They said they welcome Manchin’s efforts to strengthen the “movement for America’s commonsense majority.”

“We are continuing to make great progress on our ballot access efforts and will announce in the coming weeks whether we will offer our line to a Unity ticket,” they said.

Manchin has served in his Senate seat since winning a special election for it in 2010 and was reelected twice, in 2012 and 2018. He has been one of the Senate’s most important swing votes throughout the Biden administration as the body has been closely divided between Democrats and Republicans.

Manchin decided against seeking a third full term in the Senate in the face of a difficult task running in a deeply red state in a presidential election year.

Julia Mueller contributed.

Updated 12:38 p.m. EST.