Senate Democrats implore Manchin to stay out of presidential race: 'A big mistake'

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) has officially announced that he won't be seeking reelection in his state's 2024 U.S. Senate race. But Manchin is reportedly considering a presidential run — not as a Democrat, but via the No Labels movement.

The Hill's Alexander Bolton, in an article published on November 20, reports that fellow Senate Democrats have been imploring Manchin not to run for president — as doing so could increase the chances of 2024 GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump returning to the White House.

"Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.Va.) flirtation with a third-party presidential bid after announcing his upcoming retirement from the Senate is sparking anxiety among Democratic senators who warn that Manchin would make a big mistake if he challenges President Biden," Bolton reports. "Democratic lawmakers say that if Manchin runs for president as an independent, it will hurt Biden's reelection chances and could result in what they view as the nightmare scenario of electing Donald Trump to a second White House term."

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Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) is among the Senate Democrats who is hoping that Manchin won't run for president.

Stabenow told The Hill, "I think it would be very, very unfortunate if Joe Manchin decided to do that. I know he's a supporter of President Biden and has been an important person here in the U.S. Senate in terms of getting things done. And he knows that if he were to step in (the race), that it would make it much more likely Donald Trump would be president again. And I know Joe Manchin doesn’t want that."

Similarly, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) told The Hill, "My reaction is disappointment, deep disappointment. At his core, I think Joe Manchin is a Democrat and believes in Democratic values and principles. I'm deeply disappointed that he is still even talking about a possible run that would undermine Joe Biden. The simple stark fact is that a Manchin run for president would undercut Joe Biden."

READ MORE: Joe Manchin says he is 'absolutely' considering a 2024 presidential campaign

Read The Hill's full report at this link.