Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has argued the 2024 election offers a rare opening for a third party candidate to mount a genuine challenge for the presidency — as speculation grows that the 76-year-old is weighing launching his own bid.
“I don’t think there’s ever been a time like this, in the political posturing that we have in our country or the political procedures that we have and how we have to do things,” the retiring Democrat told CBN in an interview published Tuesday.
“And with that,” Manchin added, “I think that if there was ever going to be a time for an individual to run not on either of the major parties, this would be the time.”
Manchin announced Nov. 9 he would not be seeking re-election to his Senate seat and would instead embark on a journey across the US “to see if there is an interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle and bring Americans together.”
Manchin has yet to announce any public events and his team declined share details with The Post.
The senator has maintained he has not made up his mid about whether he would run, but has suggested that tossing his hat into the ring would not take votes away from President Biden.
The Democrat would be unlikely to primary Biden for the nomination, given his recent rhetoric about third party candidates and the passing of several state deadlines to get on the Democratic ballot.
Manchin’s close relationship with the centrist group No Labels has also raised eyebrows and encouraged theorizing that the group will choose him as their anti-Trump candidate in an expected April announcement.
If Manchin decided to run as an independent, he would be joining several other already-established third party candidates, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West.
RFK Jr. has had a strong presence in national polling, racking up 24% of support in a New York Times/Sienna College poll of swing state voters, compared to Trump’s 35% and Biden’s 33%.
Manchin’s potential campaign has also garnered backlash.
The Lincoln Project, an group dedicated to turning voters away from former President Donald Trump, has already launched negative media about Manchin on X, calling him a “spoiler.”
In the latest interview, the 76-year-old senator said his goal in running would be to “force the political parties” to realize “we’ve gotten too extreme.”