Democrats are increasingly concerned that a presidential run by Sen. Joe Mancin (D-W.V.) could “undermine” President Joe Biden’s reelection — as some of his colleagues warn the election would only lead to another term in office White House for Donald Trump.
Manchin continues to float the idea of a third-party bid in 2024 as he wants to “mobilize the radical middle.”
Biden continues to fall in recent polls, with an NBC News poll on Sunday showing him losing to Trump by two points. It also has a presidential candidate with an all-time low approval rating of just 40 percent, with the primaries just two months away.
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) said of Manchin’s flirtation with a bid, “I think it would be very, very unfortunate if Joe Manchin decided to do that.”
“I know he is a supporter of President Biden and has been a key person here in the United States Senate when it comes to getting things done,” she added of the centrist Democrat. “And he knows that if he were to intervene, it would be much more likely that Donald Trump would become president again, and I know Joe Manchin doesn’t want that.”
While polls have shown interest in someone other than Trump or Joe Biden becoming president in 2024, it seems increasingly likely that 2024 will just be a rematch between the two geriatrics.
Democrats are increasingly concerned about a third-party presidential bid from Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), fearing it will “undermine” President Joe Biden’s reelection
Biden is running for a second term in 2024, but Senator Manchin is flirting with a bid with a Republican candidate as running mate on a ‘unity ticket’. It comes as Biden continues to fall in recent polls
Democrats and Republicans are increasingly concerned that third-party bids could take away crucial voting blocks to keep their candidate in the White House for four more years.
A Manchin bid is likely to attract many moderate Democrats, while Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent bid will likely attract many moderate Democrats. seems to serve as a spoiler for Trump.
Manchin told NBC’s Meet the Press last week that he would “absolutely” consider running for president.
“I will do everything I can to help my country,” he said.
In addition, Manchin told John Catsimatidis on Cats Roundtable Sunday morning that the far left and far right are destroying American politics and that he is traveling around the country trying to mobilize those who want a more bipartisan structure.
“My reaction is disappointment, deep disappointment,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said of Manchin’s future run.
“Fundamentally, I think Joe Manchin is a Democrat and believes in democratic values and principles,” he said, according to The Hill. “I am deeply disappointed that he is still talking about a possible run that would undermine Joe Biden.”
“The simple, plain fact is that a Manchin candidate for president would undermine Joe Biden.”
Earlier this month, Manchin announced he would not seek re-election to his U.S. Senate seat amid speculation that he could run for the White House on a bipartisan ticket with the No Labels movement.
The moderate Democrat criticized President Joe Biden for moving too far left and former President Donald Trump for stooping to “a level where he has normalized this deep-seated hatred” and said everyone is “sick and tired” of divisive politics.
‘Enough is enough! They want you to pick a side,” Manchin said in a Sunday interview with Cats Roundtable, claiming that each side views the other as an “enemy” rather than a “competitor.”
“Washington wants you and me to be divided, and the rest of America to be divided, because it’s a better business model for them,” the West Virginia Democrat explained. “I came to the conclusion that… I can’t change it from within.”
“I’ve decided to go around and see if I can mobilize the radical middle — the radical, moderate, sensible, reasonable, middle, modern part of this country,” he said as Manchin travels around the country to speak to voters.
Manchin says he has moderate Democratic and Republican friends who are also fed up with the current state of politics and the default two-party system in America.
“I’m an American first, I’m a West Virginian second, and I’m the most independent, centrist, moderate Democrat you’ve ever seen,” he insisted.
“Many of my friends are the most centrist, moderate, independent Republicans you’ve ever seen,” Manchin added. ‘And we’ve just had enough. We’ll see if we can get something done. To collaborate. Put the country first. Forget the parties.’
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) said of Manchin’s flirtation with a bid: “I think it would be a real shame if Joe Manchin decided to do that.”
“My reaction is disappointment, deep disappointment,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said of Manchin’s future run. “The simple, plain fact is that a Manchin candidate for president would undermine Joe Biden.”
The No Labels movement has the support of groups of bipartisan lawmakers and politicians and aims to put forward a “unity ticket” in 2024, which could include a presidential and vice-presidential candidate from the opposing parties.
“Maybe we’re being radical if we think that maybe there should be a centrist, moderate, common-sense type of person in the public sector. Because we don’t get that anymore,” Manchin said of the idea of the parties working together.
Manchin’s comments come as a new NBC News poll released Sunday shows Biden losing to Trump by two points in 2024 — for the first time in this series of polls.
But Manchin — and many other Americans — don’t seem to think Biden or Trump are the best options. But it’s not clear who else would emerge as the frontrunner if neither of the two frontrunners were to emerge within the opposing presidential primaries.
“Donald Trump has taken it to a level where he has normalized this deep-seated hatred. He wants to be re-elected to use the office and weaponize it for revenge. He believes that the only fair election is actually the one he won (in 2016). He believes that the rule of law is only for you and me, and not for him. That is not who we are as a country,” Manchin said of the former president.
He continued about the current president: “And Joe Biden has moved to the far left so far – that makes no sense at all. He is not the person we thought would unite the country. We’re in a huge mess here.’
“We need to bring people together,” Manchin said. “We are the United States, not the divided (states).”