The News
Joe Manchin is considering a Democratic run as president after President Biden announced he’s dropping out of the race.
Manchin recently registered as an independent, but in light of Sunday’s news, he’s considering returning to the Democratic fold, sources told Semafor. The news was first reported by CBS News’ Robert Costa.
Former DNC chair Donna Brazile later told ABC News that Manchin reached out to her about the process for running, at which point she “had to remind him that to put his name in nomination he has to sign a form that he’s a Democrat.”
The thinking internally is that Vice President Kamala Harris, who has announced her intention to run and has Biden’s backing, doesn’t yet have consensus party support despite an early tidal wave of endorsements from national and state leaders and progressive advocacy groups. In addition to Democrats who have fielded private concerns about her electability, they note that top Democrats like Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi have still not yet endorsed her, leaving a window to make the case for a moderate alternative before the door slams shut.
The news was met with immediate skepticism from Harris allies and others in the party: “Joe Manchin is delusional if he thinks that there’s an appetite for a candidate like him in this Democratic Party today against a Black woman,” one person told Semafor.
“We don’t have the luxury of mulling this decision for a long time,” a top Democratic strategist told Semafor. “We’ve got to unify behind somebody and get going. I think that somebody is going to be Harris.”
Know More
Manchin is known for carving out a centrist political identity, and has often been at odds with the Democratic Party through Biden’s first term. At the same time, he’s also been central to Biden’s legislative agenda — he helped negotiate the bipartisan infrastructure law and was almost single-handedly responsible for getting the Inflation Reduction Act over the finish line. He ultimately decided last fall to pass on a re-election bid for Senate.
Manchin was one of the last lawmakers to call on Biden to step aside in the race, doing so just hours before the president announced his decision. And this isn’t the first time he’s toyed with running for president: Last year, he noted he was thinking about the option, and never fully shut the door on it. At the time, he argued that he wouldn’t be a spoiler for Biden.
“Every American should consider it if they’re in a position to help save the country,” Manchin said at the time.
Notable
- Democrats have speculated about alternatives to Harris, but discussions have mostly centered on various sitting governors. However, as our team reports, it’s not clear any of the A-list names are actually going to run.