Sen. Joe Manchin Announces He Will Not Launch Third-Party Presidential Campaign After Months of Speculation

The outgoing Democratic senator had publicly entertained running as an independent in 2024, which many in his party feared would hurt Joe Biden's chances of getting reelected

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin announced on Friday that he "will not be involved in" a third-party presidential campaign, shutting down months of speculation that he may sabotage Joe Biden's reelection bid.

“I just don’t think it’s the right time,” Manchin said during a speech. “Democracy is at stake right now.”

The moderate West Virginia senator — who recently decided that he will leave Congress when his term ends in January — has expressed dissatisfaction with Presidents Biden and Trump, and publicly entertained the idea of throwing his own hat in the ring as an alternative option for similarly skeptical voters.

Related: Joe Manchin's Possible Third-Party Presidential Run Could Massively Impact U.S. Politics

The idea of a Manchin-led presidential ticket unnerved Democrats, who felt that an independent challenge would siphon more votes from Biden than Trump.

In November, Manchin, 76, said he was "having a hard time" deciding his plans for the future, telling reporters during an event in Charleston: “The two-party system, unless it changes, will be the downfall of our country," the Associated Press reported.

Related: Joe Manchin Won’t Seek Reelection in 2024, Jeopardizing Democrats’ Control of Senate

In January, when asked again if he would consider joining a third-party ticket, Manchin suggested that he needs to see how the primary elections play out first.

"If there's going to be an option or a need for an option, you'll find out by [Super Tuesday]," he told reporters. "By March, you're going to have pretty much a lay of the land and what you're going to have and what you're going to be offered."

Related: Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin Says He's 'Thinking' About Becoming an Independent

Amid the presidential buzz in late January, Manchin's wife, Gayle Conelly Manchin, was hospitalized in Alabama for a few days after she was involved in a car accident while traveling for business. She returned to West Virginia later the same week to continue her recovery, telling PEOPLE at the time she was "healing and feeling very thankful."

Manchin was the governor of West Virginia from 2005 until 2010, when he was elected to the Senate in a special election. His tenure in Congress has courted controversy among fellow Democrats, as he's repeatedly blocked the party's agenda to appease his conservative voter base. With his Senate spot opening up in a deeply red state, Republicans expect to reclaim his seat.

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