Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) dodged questions on whether he will run for president next year as a third-party candidate, despite persistent rumors he may launch a White House bid.
Manchin said he has not stated whether he will run for office and instead continued to discuss his alarm over extremes in both the political left and right while speaking on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday.
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“I haven’t said I’m gonna run for president. I’ve said that this country doesn’t work for the extremes. You can’t have the extreme right and the extreme left — with all of these extreme ideas — and you can’t weaponize our system to make thinking that anybody on the other side that you’re not on is your enemy. And you treat them as an enemy. They might be a competitor, but they’re not your enemy, okay,” Manchin said.
He also said that change to the two-party system, which has caused frustration for centrists, will not come from Washington, D.C., because it is a “good business model” for Republicans and Democrats, saying that change will have to come from moderate voters.
“The bottom line is America is going to change when the people — when the moderate centrist people, people that feel homeless, people that seem helpless, that this system couldn’t be better than this. If they get involved and start demanding from those who are seeking office, we’re going to find out and give them the strength and ammunition they need to weaponize. Basically, stop weaponizing the system and start using the strength they have as a voter,” he added.
When pushed further on whether he would run for the White House, Manchin deflected again and would not give a timeline on a potential decision.
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The West Virginia Democrat announced last month he would not be seeking another term for his Senate seat and would be “creating a movement to mobilize the middle and bring Americans together” by traveling across the county.
No Labels, a centrist group that Manchin is tied to, has teased that it is considering putting together a third-party bid amid the constant unpopularity of the two likely Republican and Democratic presidential candidates, former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.
