SEN. JOE MANCHIN’S (D-W.VA.) FLIRTATION with a third-party presidential bid after announcing his retirement from the Senate is sparking anxiety among Democratic senators who warn that Manchin would make a big mistake if he challenges Biden. The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports an independent run could result in what they view as the nightmare scenario of electing former President Trump to a second White House term. Manchin last week didn’t rule out the possibility of running for president on the No Labels ticket or another independent platform.
“I think it would be very, very unfortunate if Joe Manchin decided to do that,” Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) said of a possible Manchin presidential run. “I know he’s a supporter of President Biden and has been an important person here in the U.S. Senate in terms of getting things done. And he knows that if he were to step in [to the race] that it would make it much more likely Donald Trump would be president again and I know Joe Manchin doesn’t want that.”
The Hill
