West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin announced on Friday that he is not pursuing a third party or independent presidential bid for the 2024 election. Manchin has frequently been mentioned as a potential No Labels nominee or independent candidate.
“I will not be seeking a third party run,” Manchin said in a speech in West Virginia this morning, according to the New York Times. “I will not be involved in a presidential run.”
Manchin’s announcement comes one day after he shared who he would consider as a running mate for a hypothetical third-party or independent presidential run at a recent speaking event. The discussion was part of Manchin’s Americans Together listening tour, a nationwide project he launched late last year to promote and mobilize moderate voices before the 2024 presidential election.
“Hypothetically, if I was picking my running mate, really who I would ask right now is Mitt Romney,” Manchin said at the City Club of Cleveland breakfast Thursday.
In addition to Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney, Manchin also expressed an interest in Rob Portman, a former Republican Senator from Ohio.
Did anybody really want him to run?
Did anybody really believe he was going to run?