Manchin taking 2-month tour to test appetite for national ‘movement’

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said Tuesday that he has not decided on his political future but will launch a two-month winter tour to determine whether there is a national “movement” for a third-party ticket.

“I start in January, I’ll be two months on the road. And all we’re trying to do is just mobilize people like myself who feel like they’re homeless, politically homeless,” Manchin said Tuesday at The Wall Street Journal CEO Council Summit.

“I don’t recognize the Democratic Party, and I have a D by my name. I have a lot of Republicans that don’t recognize Republican Party that have Rs by their name,” he added. “I don’t know if there’s a movement; I really don’t.”

Manchin, who last month announced he would not mount a Senate reelection bid in West Virginia, said he would only join a presidential ticket if he was sure he could win. 

Pressed on a potential third-party run, Manchin declined to speculate on his political future.

“And the reason I won’t make a prediction, what I can tell you is: There might be a movement, there might not. That depends. I really don’t know,” he said. “I would not be a spoiler. I’ve never been a spoiler in anything. I get into something, I get into win.”

Manchin dismissed a question about low polling numbers when respondents were asked about a theoretical Manchin presidential bid, joking it was “probably a bad poll.”

“I haven’t even, I haven’t said a word. I haven’t been on the road, I haven’t done anything,” he added.

Manchin has regularly appeared at events hosted by the No Labels political group. The possibility of the outgoing senator joining the race has fueled anxiety among Democrats that he may pull votes from President Biden and help former President Trump’s reelection.

Manchin lamented the current state of politics where opponents are seen as enemies, and he warned Trump would “break” the system if reelected to the White House. But he also warned Biden had moved too far to the left during his presidency.

“I believe that Joe Biden — if it comes down to those two — if he moves back to the center, which is what people thought they were getting, I think he would be in good shape,” Manchin said.