Joe Manchin dramatically retracts claims he will challenge Kamala Harris for Democratic nomination: ‘I don’t need that in my life’
Sen. Joe Manchin continues to insist he is “not running” for president amid rumors he is considering re-registering as a Democrat to run for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Amid reports Sunday that Manchin would launch a bid, the West Virginia senator reiterated on air Monday morning that he does not plan to run now that President Joe Biden has withdrawn.
“I’m not running for president,” Manchin told CBS Mornings. “I’m running to, basically, speak for the middle of this country.”
He added that “no party can win without a sensible, moderate middle group.”
Manchin, who changed his registration from Democrat to independent in May, also said the Democratic Party is making a mistake by backing Harris instead of holding an expedited primary process before the party convention next month.
Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat turned independent, reiterated Monday morning that he has no plans to enter the presidential race now that President Joe Biden has ended his re-election bid and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris
“I’m not running for office,” the senator said Monday morning. “I’m not looking for — I don’t need that in my life, the attention that people think you get when you speak out, you’re just looking for attention.
Earlier in the 2024 primaries, third-party No Labels attempted to approach Manchin for a split-party ticket in the name of the bipartisan agreement, but was unable to secure commitments from two candidates to make a legitimate bid.
Manchin is not running for re-election for his Senate seat, but says he plans to stay in politics.
The independent party primarily wants an open process in which Americans can decide for themselves who they want on the Democratic list, instead of Biden choosing Harris as his replacement.
“I couldn’t believe there wasn’t going to be a primary trial or a mini-trial,” Manchin told CBS Monday morning. “Other countries are doing it.”
“That’s already predetermined, so we’ll see what happens. I think it’s a mistake.”
Before Biden withdrew from the race on Sunday, Manchin appeared on the morning shows to ask the president to step aside, reiterating that he would not run for his spot on the Democratic ticket.
Manchin believes it would be a “mistake” to select Harris as a replacement instead of holding an expedited primary process that would allow Americans to have their say on their choice for the November ticket.
Fox News Sunday host Margaret Brennan asked Manchin if he would join Harris: “Would you consider a vice presidential position on that ticket?”
“Forget about me,” Machin replied.
“You’re not going to run, are you?” Brennan continued.
“No, this is a new generation, Margaret,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of deep people on the bench that we need to keep… give them a chance to stand up.”