Manchin, 76, had previously flirted with the idea of running on a third-party presidential ticket, an idea pushed by the group No Labels. When reached after the announcement, Manchin spokeswoman Sam Runyon declined to comment on whether Manchin planned to pursue a presidential run.
Manchin did not rule out the idea in his video, in which he said he would be traveling the country to gauge “if there is an interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle and bring Americans together.”
Manchin, whose state strongly backed Donald Trump in 2020, repeatedly has distanced himself from President Biden ahead of next year’s election. Gov. Jim Justice, a top GOP recruit, has already announced that he will seek the seat along with Rep. Alex Mooney (R).
Democratic senators had been trying hard to persuade Manchin to run for Senate again in recent months, even as polling suggested he would face long odds in ruby red West Virginia. Some of his Republican colleagues, including Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), had said they would probably endorse him if he ran for his Senate seat again.
This is a developing story.
