Sen. Joe Manchin said Friday he will not mount a third-party presidential bid, a relief to Democrats who spent months worrying about his refusal to shut down the possibility of challenging President Joe Biden.
“I will not be seeking a third-party run. I will not be involved in a presidential run,” the Energy and Natural Resources Committee chair said at an event at West Virginia University.
Though few in Washington expected him to actually follow through with an independent candidacy, Manchin’s flirtations with the centrist group No Labels was enough to prompt a partywide effort to argue that a Manchin run would only help former President Donald Trump.
Manchin has acknowledged he could not support Trump — even as he kept his options open, declined to endorse Biden and expressed hopes of Biden moving toward the middle. He called Biden a “compassionate person” Friday.
