Outgoing Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced on Friday that he will not launch an Independent run for the presidency in 2024, putting to rest rumors of a major challenge to President Joe Biden’s reelection bid. At the same time, Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) addressed reports that he was being considered for Manchin’s hypothetical running mate, denying that the two would be forming a bipartisan “Unity Ticket.”
“I will not be seeking a third-party run. I will not be involved in a presidential run,” Manchin said in a speech at West Virginia University on Friday afternoon. His appearance at the school marked the premature end of a national listening tour as he reportedly weighed a third-party run with the up-and-coming No Labels Party. Manchin announced last year that he would not seek reelection to the Senate, fueling speculation of a run for the White House as he criticized Biden for becoming too liberal. He had initially set a deadline for spring 2024 to make a final determination.
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However, it would seem as though the centrist senator’s decision to stay out of the race was made within the last 24 hours, as he openly discussed plans for a potential running mate just one day prior. “Hypothetically, if I was picking my running mate, really who I would ask right now is Mitt Romney,” he told voters at a breakfast forum on Thursday. Sources also suggested that Manchin had been eying former Ohio Republican Senator Rob Portman for the position.
“Well, that’s really presumptuous. I would be the president. He would be my running mate,” Romney quipped upon learning of Manchin’s remarks. However, he quickly put the rumors to rest, saying that he is “certainly not running for vice president” but thanking his “good friend” for his consideration.
According to expert assessments, if Manchin had decided to enter the race, he would have peeled off a small but nonetheless significant percentage of support from Biden, shifting the election in Donald Trump’s favor. Despite Manchin’s criticism of the current president—whom he has refused to endorse this cycle—the senator has also refused to be a part of any effort to reelect Donald Trump. This likely factored into his decision to stay out of the race.
Related: Utah Senator Mitt Romney Will Not Seek Reelection in 2024
Instead, Manchin will be throwing his efforts behind his daughter’s Super PAC “Americans Together,” which will focus on “making sure that we secure a president that has the knowledge and has the passion and has the ability to bring this country together.”
Senator Romney likewise declared that he will not be voting for Trump in 2024 after notably being the only Republican Senator to vote against him in his first impeachment trial.
Connor Walcott is a staff writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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