West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Machin said Wednesday he would “absolutely” consider running for U.S. president, less than a week after announcing his upcoming departure from Congress next year.
Manchin, who has lamented the level of national division in recent months and has expressed concern about the Democratic Party, said NBC would consider joining the race for the White House if it meant helping America.
“All Americans should consider it if they are in a position to help save the country,” Manchin said.
Manchin has held public office in West Virginia since the early 1980s, including as governor, member of the House of Delegates and state Senate. Throughout his political career, he has often called himself a “centrist, moderate, conservative Democrat.”
However, in recent months, Manchin revealed that he would “think very seriously” about a break with the Democratic Party, noting that the political climate across the United States has left common-sense Americans “politically homeless.”
Amid the chaos, Manchin has since hinted that he is open to launching a third-party campaign for the White House in 2024, and there has been speculation that he and former Republican Utah Gov. John Huntsman could team up after they appeared together for No Labels. Town Hall in July.
No Labels issued a statement Thursday praising Manchin as a “great leader” in the Senate and an ally. The group also said it is still “gathering opinions” for a possible “Unidad” presidential bid and plans to make a decision in early 2024.
But before making the announcement official, the West Virginia congressman said he would first explore whether voters would consider a “moderate” candidate.
“I’m going to do everything in my power to mobilize that moderate, sensible, common-sense middle,” he said during the NBC interview on Wednesday, also mentioning his fear about a possible second Trump administration.
“I am completely and absolutely scared that Donald Trump will be president again,” he said. “I think we will lose democracy as we know it.”
Manchin’s comments come after making “one of the most difficult decisions” of his life last week when he announced he would not seek re-election to the Senate in 2024, leaving the door open to a possible run for the White House.
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The lawmaker revealed his decision with a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, in which Manchin said he believed he had “accomplished” what he set out to do for West Virginia.
“But what I will do is travel the country and talk to see if there is interest in creating a movement to mobilize the media and unite Americans,” he added.
Rumors of a Manchin presidency have already received pushback from at least one of his colleagues.
Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a rising star and top surrogate in President Biden’s reelection effort, implored Manchin earlier this week not to challenge Biden in the 2024 election.
Beyond the GOP primaries, other candidates are campaigning for a chance at the presidency. Among them are Robert F. Kennedy Jr., left-wing activist Cornel West (both running as independents) and Green Party candidate Jill Stein.
Daniel Chaitin contributed to this report.
