Senator Joe Manchin (IW.Va.) made the rounds on local and national talk shows Monday morning, denying – at least for now – rumors that he intends to enter the presidential race after President Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he would not seek the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination.
Manchin, who until then was one of the longest-serving and best-known Democrats in the state, change his party Registration for non-members in May, said MetroNews “Talkline” said on Monday that he “clearly rejected” the idea of rejoining the Democratic Party to seek the highest office in the land.
The rejection was made by several national news organizations – including CNN, The Washington PostThe Wall Street Journal, The hill And CBS News – and reported that Manchin was considering re-registering as a Democrat and campaigning for the party’s nomination.
Monday’s statement was a occasional direct response from Manchin to his campaign plans. While he announced in November Although he has announced that he would not run for the Senate again, Manchin has repeatedly flirted with the possibility of running for various offices in recent years.
At the beginning of the year, in the run-up to his party change, Rumors circulated For weeks, there have been rumors that Manchin might run in the race for governor against Republican Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and Huntington Mayor Steve Williams.
Last year, as the 2024 primaries approached, there was national talk of Manchin entering the presidential race as an independent. In 2020, he was bullied a candidacy for governor against Republican Governor Jim Justice, whom he had helped to put in office as a Democrat in 2016.
Manchin told Talkline and other news programs on Monday that he wants a “new generation” of politicians to take the reins of the country.
“I’m not a new generation, I’ve been around for a while…” Manchin said. “I’m retiring. I hope to spend more time in West Virginia, which I desperately need and enjoy. I’m looking forward to that. I don’t know what the next chapter of my life will be, but I’ll be there. [in national politics] …”
Manchin said he would remain involved because much work still needs to be done to reach independent and moderate voters across the country. In recent months, Manchin has been Focus national on efforts to unite the “middle” of America, sharply criticizing both political camps for what he saw as their extremist views and political positions.
With Biden dropping out of the presidential race and paving the way for Vice President Kamala Harris to run, Manchin said he could not support Harris at this time because she is “too far to the left.”
He said he wanted Harris – the country’s first female vice president and the first black and Asian American vice president – to move “to the center” to appeal to a broader electorate across the country.
“If she doesn’t do that,” Manchin said, “she will be beaten like a drum [in November].”
State Democratic Party leader supports Harris
At the state level, Democratic Party Chairman Del. Mike Pushkin (D-Kanawha) said he respects and admires Manchin and thinks his voice needs to be heard within the Democratic Party, but he disagreed with his statements about Harris.
“I think we have a great candidate in Vice President Harris,” Pushkin said. “She has been part of this administration that has made unprecedented investments in this part of the country, and through her work on the Inflation Control Act, we are seeing investments in the energy sector in West Virginia that have led to job growth. And all of those inaugural ceremonies and groundbreakings that Republicans like, [Gov.] Jim Justice would like to pose for someone? Well, the real work has been done by this administration – President Biden, Vice President Harris. She is the logical choice for president.”
Del. Kayla Young, D-Young, a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, said Monday she was excited about the future of Democrats across the country. The news that Biden is dropping out of the race and Harris is running will give the party novel momentum, she said. Young had previously urged Biden to end his campaign for re-election.
“I’m thrilled that the Vice President is running,” Young said. “I mean, she was on the ballot when 14 million [voters] voted in the primaries. So we know her and I think she’s ready to lead.”
Pushkin said party leadership conducted a poll of members of the state delegation to the Democratic National Convention on Monday to find out who they would support as their presidential candidate. A statement is expected later Monday.
Harris had not yet announced her candidate for the vice presidency on Monday.
Young said she hopes the vice presidential candidate will be someone from Appalachia, such as Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear or North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper.
“I just hope it’s someone from our area who understands Appalachia and our needs,” Young said. “And I think there are a lot of really good candidates in the surrounding states.”
The Republican leadership in West Virginia wants to remove Biden from office
West Virginia Republican leaders join their colleagues at national level and expressed concern about Biden’s ability to complete the remainder of his term.
In a statement Monday, state Republican Chairman Matt Herridge said Republicans are “energized and ready to win big in the election.” He asked why Biden’s decline had been ignored “for so long.” He questioned whether the president is fit to serve the rest of his term.
Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, a Republican candidate for governor of West Virginia, called on Harris to invoke the 25th Amendment, which would allow the vice president to issue a declaration that the president is unfit to hold office.
“President Biden’s cognitive decline is of great concern to Americans, especially at a time when our country is facing one crisis after another both here and abroad,” Morrisey said in the statement. “We need a president who is mentally fit.”
US Senator Shelley Moore Capito said in a statement that Biden should resign.
“We live in a dangerous world and deserve a commander in chief who can handle the rigors of the job,” Capito said. “If President Biden feels he is not up to the demands of a campaign, how will he be able to complete the remainder of his term as president?”
