Joe Manchin's Possible Third-Party Presidential Run Could Massively Impact U.S. Politics
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The moderate Democrat, who has previously said he wouldn't rule out changing parties in the future, is sparking rumors of joining a potentially disruptive third-party presidential ticket
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin's Monday town hall appearance in New Hampshire is raising eyebrows — largely due to the fact it's hosted by a group currently exploring a third-party presidential ticket.
The moderate Democrat, who has previously said he wouldn't rule out changing parties in the future, is appearing at the event hosted by No Labels, a group co-chaired by former Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, a Democrat-turned-independent who was Al Gore's running mate in 2000.
The Atlantic reports that No Labels hasn't yet decided whether it will nominate a third-party candidate and plans to make the determination in the spring, after they examine polling data to determine the effect such a candidate might have on the race.
A potential Manchin ticket could split the Democratic vote in a race where President Joe Biden appears in a dead heat with presumed Republican nominee Donald Trump, potentially taking down Biden's campaign.
If Manchin were to vacate his Senate seat to run, the move could also help Republicans take control of the upper chamber, as West Virginia is a deeply conservative state where a newcomer Democrat would have a hard time securing a victory.
Manchin came to the Senate in 2010 and faces reelection in 2024, though he has not yet announced whether he plans to run again.
Speaking to CNN’s Manu Raju last week, 75-year-old Manchin said the town hall event "is nothing about a third party, this is nothing about bringing up any office at all," adding, "it’s about a dialogue for common sense, which is very hard to have here, finding commonality.
But Manchin didn't exactly shut down speculation that he could be mulling a bid for the presidency under a third-party ticket, telling Raju, "I’ve never ruled out anything or ruled in anything."
Manchin has fielded questions about switching parties in the past. Speaking to reporters in the wake of his colleague Kyrsten Sinema's decision to become an independent earlier this year, Manchin said he had "no intention" of following suit — but that he wasn't ruling out a party switch in the future.
"Whether I do something later, I can't tell you what the future's going to bring. I can only tell you where I am and my mindset," he said, per The Hill.
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A self-described "moderate Democrat," Manchin told both The Hill and Fox News in 2021 that he had offered to leave the Democratic Party and become an independent (while still voting with the Democrats) during talks about President Joe Biden's sweeping spending package, the Build Back Better Act.
"If it is 'embarrassing' to them to have a moderate, centrist Democrat in the mix and if it would help them publicly, I could become an independent," he told The Hill he said, adding that the proposition never went anywhere and that it wasn't meant as a threat.
"I'm not threatening to leave. Why would I? I'm very secure in my positions and honestly, I'm not the one stressed out," Manchin told The Hill.
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