Sen. Joe Manchin decides against presidential bid

West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin on Friday made the announcement during a speech at West Virginia University. He said he would not be involved in any 2024 presidential run, as a third-party candidate or otherwise. He had suggested previously that U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, could have been his running mate.

Was he a potential candidate? Manchin had reportedly been mulling a presidential bid for months, and his name was floated as a third-party candidate for the “No Labels” party. In November 2023, he said he would not seek re-election to the U.S. Senate. He has since been traveling the country assessing the viability of a more centrist political presidential run.

Dig deeper: Read Eric Teetsel’s column in WORLD Opinions about what to expect from politics in the United States in 2024.