Manchin joins parade of white male Dems standing aside for Kamala Harris, says no challenge

US Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV) sought to clear up any confusion following reports that he would challenge Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination.

After President Joe Biden announced the end of his re-election campaign on Sunday, CNN reported that Manchin was considering returning to the Democratic Party to challenge Harris, who was endorsed by Biden as the party's presumptive nominee.

“Sources close to WV independent Sen. Joe Manchin say he's considering re-registering as a Democrat and throwing his hat in the ring,” CNN's Jake Tapper wrote on social media.

Manchin issues a challenge to Harris https://t.co/ncsQ6IHN4x road @BIZPACRevision

— Based on BPR (@DumpstrFireNews) July 22, 2024

But on Monday, the Democrat-turned-longtime independent went around the media to say he had no such plans.

“Let me make it very clear, Tony, I'm not going to run for president,” he told Tony Dokoupil on “CBS Mornings.”

“I'm a candidate basically speaking for the middle of this country. There are 51% of people registered to participate in an election in America who are basically in the same party as I am: independent.”

Senator Joe Manchin told CBS Mornings that he will not run for the Democratic nomination against Vice President Harris.

“I'm not going to run for president,” Manchin said. But he said he would like to see a competitive process to choose the nominee. https://t.co/3YTpiD0gOE pic.twitter.com/fQPvGjaugu

— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) July 22, 2024

Co-host Gayle King pressed Manchin and suggested, as some have said, that he was just trying to get “attention.”

“I'm a little confused. On the one hand, you say you're following the process; on the other hand, you say, no, I'm not a candidate this time,” he said.

“I'm not running for office,” Manchin responded. “I couldn't believe that there wasn't a primary process or a mini-process. Other countries do it. I'm not looking, I don't need it in my life.

“I'm not going to run for president,” the senator said. “I don't need this in my life.”

CNN's Tapper noted that other names that had been floated as potential Biden replacements had now come out in support of Harris.

Other Democrats are said to have considered a run if Biden dropped out around VP Harris… Gov Newsom, now Secretary Buttigieg https://t.co/f7gHRT1xAl

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) July 21, 2024

In an appearance Monday on “CNN This Morning,” Manchin insisted he is “following the process” and advocating for a competitive process.

“People are looking down the middle. Where? Well, we'd like to see that. We're not going to see a vigorous primary process, not even a three-week one,” Manchin said. “Nobody else is willing to talk. They're going to say, 'Well, we're falling behind. We're just going to fall in line. I'm sorry, I don't agree with that.'

(Video credit: CNN)

He told Kasie Hunt that “it's almost impossible” for him to win since he left the Democratic Party. He acknowledged that people are “pushing” to get it done, but Manchin said it's time to pass the torch to a “new generation.”

The retiring senator addressed the rumors again in an appearance on MSNBC's “Morning Joe.”

“I have no intention of running for any political office,” he told co-host Mika Brzezinski when asked about the “conflicting reports.”

He stated that Harris would be “strengthened” by an open process to choose a candidate, noting that a primary would identify the “cream of the crop of a new generation.”

(Video credit: MSNBC)

Senior Staff Writer
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida, where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.

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