Joe Manchin not ruling out a possible 2024 presidential run: report

07 February 2023

Much of the coverage of the 2024 presidential race has focused on whether or not President Joe Biden will seek reelection and whether the GOP nominee will be former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis or someone else. But there has also been speculation about centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) possibly running as an independent or third-party candidate.

Journalist Alexander Bolton, in an article published by The Hill on February 7, reports that Manchin isn’t ruling out that possibility. Manchin, a press conference that day, told reporters, “I don’t like the direction we’re going (in).”

During a Q&A session held by Semafor’s Steve Clemons, Manchin was asked about a possible presidential run and responded, “I don’t know what the next chapter will be. I don’t know (where) the future lies, I really don’t. I can tell you one thing: I feel, like most Americans, we’ve got to come together. Americans want to be united; they want to be together. And right now, we’re going further apart.”

The West Virginia senator also said of the political climate in Washington, D.C., “I don’t like what I see. I don’t (like) the direction we’re going, and I’m going to work and commit myself to try to get people who want to do the right thing to find the pathway forward, bringing the country back together.”

In January, Bolton notes, Manchin discussed the possibility of a presidential run during an appearance on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.” The senator responded, “Everything’s on the table…. I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that when I make my decision, I make it based on what’s best.… for my country and my state.”

Read The Hill’s full report at this link.

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