Another Joe could soon run for the White House.
Outgoing Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) kept the door open to a presidential run in an interview broadcast Wednesday, saying he would “absolutely” consider seeking the highest office in the land.
“I’ll do everything I can to help my country, and you say, ‘Does that mean you’d consider it?’ Absolutely,” Manchin told NBC’s “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker.
“All Americans should consider it if they are in a position to help save the country.”
Last week, Manchin announced he would not seek re-election to the Senate, giving up an uphill battle to keep his seat in his ruby-red home state.
West Virginia Republican Gov. Jim Justice launched a campaign for Manchin’s seat earlier this year and polls showed him unseating the Democrat.
Joe Manchin suggested in a recent interview that he might seek the presidency. Sen_JoeManchin/Twitter
The Mountain State went for former President Donald Trump by nearly 30 percentage points in the 2020 election and has not backed a Democrat for president since Bill Clinton in 1996.
Manchin, 76, joked in a video statement announcing his re-election decision that his political career may not be over yet.
“What I will do is travel the country and speak to see if there is interest in creating a movement to mobilize the media and unite Americans,” he said at the time.
President Biden has trailed GOP front-runner Donald Trump in a slew of recent polls. AFP via Getty Images
“I’m going to do everything in my power to ensure and mobilize that moderate, sensible, common-sense middle,” Manchin told Welker on Wednesday.
The Democrat stressed that he is “totally and absolutely scared to death that Donald Trump will be president again” and warned that “I think we will lose democracy as we know it” if that happens.
The centrist No Labels organization has been testing the waters for an outside presidential contender, and Manchin has supported its efforts.
Republicans successfully recruited Jim Justice to compete for Joe Manchin’s seat.AP
Over the summer, Manchin headlined a No Labels event in New Hampshire with former Utah Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman.
Looming over that prospect are fears among Democrats that a third candidate could take away President Biden’s support and pave the way for a Trump victory.
“I have never been a spoiler of anything in my life, and I would never do it now,” said Manchin, who indicated that he considers March 5, Super Tuesday, as the approximate deadline to make a final decision.
Joe Manchin plans to gauge public interest in an outside challenger.REUTERS
During the first two years of the Biden administration, Manchin had become a key vote for Democrats in the 50-50 Senate.
He found himself under intense pressure from progressives, but still ended up derailing multiple costly iterations of Biden’s Build Back Better agenda.
Last year, Manchin finally agreed to the watered-down $740 billion Inflation Reduction Act, which he has since publicly criticized.
In his interview with NBC, Manchin also accused Biden of moving “too far to the left” during his presidency, although he defended the soon-to-be 81-year-old from criticism over his age.
“When I met with Biden, we always had a very active engagement,” the senator said.
With Manchin’s decision not to run for the Senate, Democrats’ math for retaining control of the upper chamber has become more difficult.
Democrats defend 23 seats this cycle; Republicans defend only 11.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn