Sen. Joe Manchin III declined to entertain reporters’ questions Monday about whether he is still weighing a third-party independent presidential run against President Biden.

The conservative West Virginia Democrat revealed last week he would not seek reelection in 2024, delivering a gut punch to his party’s hopes of maintaining their narrow one-seat Senate majority.  

Mr. Manchin’s retirement announcement teased that his political future entails “traveling the country and speaking out to see if there is an interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle and bring Americans together.”

Prompted Monday about whether a White House bid was still on the table, Mr. Manchin told reporters that he was instead focused on avoiding a government shutdown as Congress barrels toward a Friday deadline to pass a stopgap funding measure.

• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.