Is Joe Manchin running for president as a third-party candidate?: The West Virginia Democratic senator is scheduled to appear Monday with the No Labels organization, leading to speculation that he’s considering a presidential bid.
Joe Manchin: Is He Running?
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has done a lot of things over the years to upset his fellow Democrats. In the first two years of the Biden Administration, with a Senate at 50/50, Manchin was the most conservative Democrat and sometimes blocked priorities, especially when he scuttled the president’s “Build Back Better” initiative.
Manchin is up for re-election next year, and has not yet said whether or not he’ll run for another term; it’s widely believed that he is the only Democrat who can win a statewide race in West Virginia.
But now, Manchin might be doing something that would get Democrats even angrier at him.
The senator is set to appear on Monday at an event for the bipartisan group known as No Labels, The Hill reported.
Manchin is set to appear at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire — a frequent host of presidential candidates visiting that early primary state — along with former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who was elected as a Republican but has served in administrations of both parties. This has led to speculation that Manchin himself could be the presidential standard bearer for No Labels.
Per The Hill, Manchin said in a statement that many Americans are “exceedingly frustrated by the growing divide in our political parties and toxic political rhetoric from our elected leaders.”
“Our political discourse is lacking engaged debates around common sense solutions to solve the pressing issues facing our nation,” he added. “I am looking forward to modeling this type of conversation with my good friend, Gov. Huntsman, and the No Labels community.”
The No Labels effort, which has existed for several election cycles, has spoken of launching a “unity ticket” in 2024. But the efforts have been controversial, some people associated with the effort have quit the group over these plans.
No Labels released its policy agenda over the weekend, attempting to split the difference on several major contentious issues.
For instance, the New York Times reported, No Labels plans to advocate that “The constitutional right to bear arms is inviolable but must be tempered with universal background checks and age restrictions on the purchase of military-style semiautomatic rifles.” in addition, on immigration, the country should stop “releasing” undocumented immigrants, but also broaden legal immigration. It is also trying to split the difference on such seemingly irreconcilable issues as abortion.
“The possibility of third-party candidates drawing votes has Democrats worried, but they are especially concerned Manchin, who is up for reelection in 2024, could deliver a double blow to the party,” The Hill said. “A presidential bid that harms President Biden next year and virtually hands a key Senate seat and potential majority in the chamber to the GOP.”
On ABC News over the weekend, two former senators, Joe Lieberman, and Doug Jones, argued about No Labels. Lieberman, who was a Democrat in the Senate but has backed Republicans in recent elections, is a co-founder of No Labels.
“We’re in this to give the majority of the American people who feel that the major two parties are failing them a third choice, both in policies, such as we’re going to release in New Hampshire [on Monday], but also possibly in a third candidate,” Lieberman, the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2000, said on “This Week.” “And we’ve been very explicit … If the polling next year shows, after the two parties have chosen their nominees, that, in fact, we will help elect one or another candidate, we’re not going to get involved.”
Jones, who was briefly a Democratic senator from Alabama, made the opposite case, arguing that Biden has tried to build consensus himself.
“There is no way on God’s green earth that they can get to 270 electoral votes, which means they will be a spoiler, one way or another.”
Expertise and Experience: Stephen Silver is a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive. He is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.
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