Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said he would not endorse President Joe Biden for the upcoming 2024 White House race.
“I’m not endorsing anybody right now. We’re going to see what all happens,” Mr. Manchin said during a CNN interview on Feb. 19.
Mr. Manchin said the reason for not doing so was the president’s extreme policies. “I’ve had this conversation with him and with his people that he’s gone too far to the left. They’ve pushed him and pulled him, and whatever. But that’s not where America is. That’s not where our country is,” Mr. Manchin said.
“I’m hoping the Joe Biden that we saw in 2020 will be the Joe Biden we see in 2024 if that can be done. If not, it’s going to be a long road for everybody,” he added.
President Biden has received 30 endorsements from serving Democratic senators for his reelection bid so far.
Mr. Manchin said that President Joe Biden is not the candidate to unite the country because the president does not have the knowledge, the function, or the ability to do so.
The West Virginia senator added that he wanted to focus on moving Americans to the center. “I’m trying to do everything I can to make sure that we have a pathway forward where the center of this country is going to be represented,” he said. “And that’s the center-left and center-right. That’s where the decisions [are], that’s where people live their lives. That’s the type of government they want. They don’t want the extremes.
“I still believe there [are] enough good Republicans and Democrats that want this centrist type of approach to governing.
Economy Is the Key Issue for Voters
Last month, in an ABC News/Ipsos poll, 33 percent of Americans approved of President Biden’s job performance, the lowest number for any U.S. president in the last 15 years. His disapproval rating was 58 percent, compared with 56 percent in September.In 2022, as inflation reached a 40-year high, voters expressed their discontent with the president’s handling of the economy, with 56 percent disapproving of his approach.
The poll found that 71 percent of voters believed “the economy is in bad shape, given higher prices and interest rates,” while 24 percent said the opposite.
Not Running for President
Mr. Manchin’s comments came after he announced last week that he did not plan to run for president, following rumors that he would run as a third-party candidate.“I will not be seeking a third-party run. I will not be involved in a presidential run,” Mr. Manchin said in a speech in West Virginia on Feb. 16. “I will be involved in making sure that we secure a president that has the knowledge and has the passion and has the ability to bring this country together.”
Mr. Manchin, 76, had explored a possible third-party run but he said it would be “very challenging,” and he did not want to be a “deal-breaker” or “spoiler.”
“The system right now is not set up for [it]. [In] the long game, maybe we can make a third-party viable where it has a process and opportunity. Right now, it’s very challenging, I just don’t think it’s the right time,” Mr. Manchin said.
“We’re on a real teetering situation here that could go either way. Democracy is at stake right now.”
