The Senate has experienced a wave of retirement announcements over the last two months, including from key figures such as Sens. Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Joe Manchin (D-WV), sparking speculation about what the two centrist lawmakers may do next.
Shortly after Manchin revealed he would not seek reelection, one group had already begun making moves to coax the West Virginia Democrat into joining a bipartisan presidential ticket with Romney, who announced his own retirement in September. The Draft Romney Manchin Committee filed with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday and plans to make an announcement as soon as next week, according to the Wall Street Journal.
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The group is reportedly pushing for the pair to run as a unity ticket backed by the No Labels group, which is still considering candidates for its possible third-party ticket, the group told the Washington Examiner. The proposed ticket would feature Romney as the presidential candidate and Manchin as his running mate.
The committee is not connected to Romney or Manchin and would operate independently. However, the group said it would raise money to conduct polling in key swing states to determine if there’s a path forward for a Romney-Manchin duo, as well as lobby delegates at the No Labels convention next spring to nominate the pair as its ticket.
Although Manchin left the door open as to what his plans may be, Romney has indicated he has no interest in running for higher office. In his retirement announcement, the Utah senator said he would step down to make room for the “next generation of leaders.”
“Sen. Romney was not aware of this effort, and he is not considering running for president on any ticket,” Romney’s chief of staff, Liz Johnson, told the Washington Examiner.
However, Manchin and Romney have been considered top contenders for the No Labels ticket, as both senators garnered national name recognition for their willingness to break with their own party on key points.
No Labels has garnered national attention in recent months as it actively courts centrists in both parties who could make up a 2024 presidential “unity ticket” as an alternative to “divisive” candidates. The group has described these efforts as an “insurance policy” in the 2024 presidential election, vowing to drop its bid if either party manages to provide a candidate whom centrist voters can accept.
Specifically, the group said it would aim to provide an option for voters who don’t want to see President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump win the White House, meaning a possible rematch between the two could pave the way for a third-party ticket.
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Outside Democratic groups have pushed back on No Labels and its efforts for months, pointing to historical evidence showing third-party candidates typically do poorly in general elections. Others have argued a third-party ticket would provide a crucial boost to the GOP and open the door for Trump or a MAGA-aligned candidate to be elected.
However, No Labels pointed to the group’s polling that shows Biden losing to Trump in head-to-head matchups in several battleground states crucial to his victory in 2020, including Arizona and Georgia. When a third-party candidate is introduced in either of those states, support for both Biden and Trump diminishes, disproving the theory of a “spoiler candidate,” it said.
