Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) refused to rule out launching a third-party presidential run in 2024, saying that extremism is becoming a serious issue on both political sides.
Manchin made the remarks during a Sunday morning news show when asked about a recent report from The New York Times about a self-described bipartisan group, “No Labels,” that wants a third-party presidential candidate in 2024. Manchin sits at the top of the group’s list.
“No Labels has been moving and pushing very hard the centrist middle. Making commonsense decisions,” Manchin told Fox News host Shannon Bream. “People that basically expect us to do our job. And not put the political party ahead of the policy in our great country. That’s what we’ve seen happening. And there’s more noise and more extremism coming from the far left and the far right.”
“It’s always what I’ve believed. I believe that basically that’s where you make the decisions,” he said of the political center. “You listen to the Left and the Right. You make sure that you leave nobody behind. And you listen to the different persuasions that they might have, concerns. But when it comes you’ve got to make common sense.”
Manchin was repeatedly pressed on the matter by Bream.
“Not ruling anything in, not ruling anything out,” Manchin concluded.
“Both the extreme Left and the extreme Right voted to default – they voted against it,” Manchin said. “It was the Democrats and Republicans in the middle. So that moderate middle, the centrists, well, we’re going to run this country. We can’t continue to let the extremes try to be the majority voice when it’s going to be the majority voting in the middle and the moderate centrists that will make things happen.”
WATCH:
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) hits extremism on the left and right but does not give a straight answer to Fox's Shannon Bream when she asks whether he'll run as a third-party candidate on a No Labels ticket. pic.twitter.com/JQrNSgRpvC
— The Recount (@therecount) June 4, 2023
Manchin was also asked about 2024 during an interview on CBS News’s “Face The Nation” with host Margaret Brennan.
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When asked about the possibility of a presidential run, Manchin said, “Everything’s open, everything’s on the table and nothing off the table.”
“Everything is open. Everything is on the table and nothing off the table,” says @Sen_JoeManchin when asked if he is considering a presidential bid or running for re-election in the Senate. pic.twitter.com/rObgwJ3E8W
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) June 4, 2023