Manchin Considers Rejoining Democrats, Running For President: Reports

 Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) is reportedly thinking about returning to the Democrats and running for the White House now that President Joe Biden has announced he would be ending his 2024 re-election bid.

CNN’s Jake Tapper reported Sunday on X that sources close to Manchin said the senator is considering re-registering to the Democratic Party and “throwing his hat into the ring.”

Sources also told NBC News that Manchin was considering a bid against Vice President Kamala Harris, who is the only declared candidate seeking the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination so far.

CBS News reporter Robert Costa said “some Democratic donors and officials are reaching out to Sen. Joe Manchin to consider standing for the presidential nomination, per two people familiar with the discussions.”

He added, “Manchin is now considering re-registering as a Democrat to offer Democrats an alternative to VP Harris… per several sources familiar with the discussions… no final decision has been made but talks continue tonight in his inner circle.”

Manchin announced in November that he would not run for another Senate term in 2024 and then embarked on a listening tour in places around the United States while leaving open the possibility of a White House run.

By mid-February, Manchin had declared that he would not be involved in a presidential campaign.

There had been speculation about Manchin embarking on a third-party campaign with No Labels, which had been touting a prospective “Unity ticket,” but the group ended its search in early April without any challengers.

 

Manchin left the Democratic Party and became an independent in late May, saying at the time, “I have seen both the Democrat and Republican parties leave West Virginia and our country behind for partisan extremism while jeopardizing our democracy.”

After saying neither party was willing to seek compromise, Manchin added, “To stay true to myself and remain committed to put country before party, I have decided to register as an independent with no party affiliation and continue to fight for America’s sensible majority.”

Facing intense pressure from allies to drop out after a fumbling debate performance and concerns about his age and electability, Biden announced on Sunday afternoon that he would be stopping his 2024 campaign to focus on the remainder of his term.

Biden, who is 81, later said he was endorsing Harris to become the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. Harris is 59 years old while Manchin is 76. Former President Donald Trump, who is the GOP’s presidential nominee, is 78.

Others quickly rallied behind Harris, but not everyone, including former President Barack Obama. Harris released a statement that said she intended to “earn and win” the nomination — possibly through an open convention in the next several weeks.

During the hours before Biden ended his re-election bid, Manchin appeared on Sunday morning talk shows and joined the chorus of elected officials calling on the sitting president to step aside.

On CNN’s “State of the Union,” Manchin advocated for an “open process” and said that he thought “we have a lot of talent on the bench.”

Noting that he was “partial” to governors, Manchin touted Democrats Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Josh Shapiro in Pennsylvania as “two tremendous governors” in states close to West Virginia.

Manchin, himself an ex-governor, added, “They haven’t made you pick a side and demonize the other side. They have brought people together. This is what an open process would do, I think. It would bring more people out in a process that could bring Democrats like me back.”

Fox News anchor Bret Baier affirmed on X that Manchin “IS considering re-registering as a Democrat and throwing his hat into the ring for President -‘Even just to have the discussion of bringing the party back to the center.'”

Manchin is expected to appear on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and Baier’s show “Special Report” on Monday.