Does Kamala Harris already have a challenger? Top senator weighs giving outgoing President Biden’s successor a run for her money in 2024 election
Independent Senator Joe Manchin is considering returning to the Democratic Party and entering the race for president after President Biden announced he will not seek re-election.
The West Virginia senator had previously been mentioned as a possible unity candidate in the primaries, but he withdrew his candidacy.
In late May, Manchin left the Democratic Party after decades as a Democrat and registered as an Independent.
But Manchin is now considering changing course and re-registering as a Democrat to run for president, a source confirmed to DailyMail.com.
It comes after Biden announced Sunday afternoon that he would not seek re-election and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the nomination. Harris subsequently announced she was running for the Democratic presidential nomination, but it’s not a done deal yet.
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin is reportedly considering re-registering as a Democrat to run for president
Some Democratic officials immediately endorsed her, but others held back, calling for a Democratic process in which delegates would officially choose their nominee next month.
Earlier on Sunday, Manchin joined the growing chorus of elected officials calling for Biden to resign.
“It is with a heavy heart that I have decided that it is time to pass the torch to a new generation,” Manchin said in a series of interviews on Sunday’s show.
He has long warned that he considers Donald Trump a threat to democracy, but he also expressed concerns about the president’s health.
Manchin has long been torn between a thorn in Biden’s side and an ally. He helped Democrats pass some of their biggest legislation under Biden in the past three years while stripping out key requirements that stripped away some of the components that were top priorities for progressives.
Sen. Joe Manchin came out Sunday morning saying he thought it was time for Biden to “pass the torch,” just hours before Biden announced he was dropping out of the race
President Biden announced Sunday afternoon that he is endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate
By entering the Democratic presidential race and challenging the Biden-backed candidate, the moderate from West Virginia would provide an additional boost to President Biden.
When Manchin left the Democratic Party less than two months ago, he said he made the decision to “stay true to myself and remain committed to putting country before party.”
Despite the change in party registration, Manchin continues to work with Democrats on Capitol Hill.
Manchin announced last fall that he would not seek re-election as West Virginia senator in the increasingly red state. The Senate seat is expected to flip red this fall with Republican Governor Jim Justice as the West Virginia Senate nominee.
Other Democrats seen as possible replacements for the Democratic presidential nominee, including Gov. Josh Shapiro, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Gov. Roy Cooper, have all spoken out in favor of Harris as the top candidate.