WASHINGTON — Sen. Joe Manchin revealed that he will not be running for the Democratic nomination against Vice President Kamala Harris.
"I am not going to be a candidate for president," the West Virginia Democrat-turned-independent told CBS on Monday, a day after Biden ended his reelection bid. "I am a candidate for basically speaking to the middle of this country."
The senator, who left the Democratic party earlier this year, had considered re-registering as Democrat to vie for the nomination, according to Jonathan Kott, a longtime adviser to Manchin.
Manchin called for the party to hold a "mini primary" to find its strongest candidate.
The West Virginia senator had already mulled a late-breaking 2024 White House bid of his own but said in February after a listening tour that he didn’t want to be a “spoiler.” As a Democrat, he had often bucked his own party’s leadership.
Soon after Biden announced his exit from the 2024 race, Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison promised an "orderly process" to replace Biden.
“In the coming days, the party will undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward,” Harrison said in a statement. “This process will be governed by established rules and procedures of the party. Our delegates are prepared to take seriously their responsibility in swiftly delivering a candidate to the American people.“
The comment reflected the reality that while Vice President Kamala Harris is emerging as the prohibitive favorite to become the nominee — backed already by Biden and many Democrats — it’s not so simple. And for now, the party isn’t offering many details on what happens next.
