Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia has attributed his decision not to pursue a presidential run to the Senate Republicans’ recent obstruction of a border and foreign aid bill. The Democratic senator, who is due to retire, had previously considered a third-party campaign.
In an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Monday, Manchin stated that witnessing the bipartisan bill’s failure in the Senate was a significant factor in his decision. He expressed his disappointment, saying, “I always believed that we could legislate through a crisis, we’d come together for a crisis. Well, guess what, we have a crisis. The border is a crisis.”
This revelation follows Manchin’s announcement last Friday that he will not be participating in a presidential run. His decision comes amidst a congressional stalemate, with top House Republicans refusing to back a new foreign aid package. This refusal comes after Senate Republicans reversed their stance on the previous combined border and aid legislation, which faced opposition from House GOP leadership and former President Donald Trump.
Manchin expressed his dismay at the failed procedural vote two weeks ago, which he saw as a rejection by Senate Republicans of a deal that would have implemented restrictive border measures. The deal was partly crafted by James Lankford of Oklahoma, whom Manchin described as the “most decent, honorable person and conservative in the entire Senate.”
Manchin, known for his centrist views and occasional disagreements with his party, had set a deadline of this spring to decide on a potential White House run, possibly under the No Labels ticket. However, he announced on Friday that he was withdrawing to concentrate on a new group, Americans Together, which advocates for moderate politics.
On Monday, Manchin reiterated his refusal to endorse former President Joe Biden, criticizing him for being overly liberal. He also stated that he would not support any effort to help Trump return to the White House. Instead, he emphasized his intention to help shift politics back to the center, stating, “I’m gonna do everything I can to help move them back to the middle and show them where the strength of this country lies, where the voting bloc of the country lies.”
When asked about a potential Biden versus Trump presidential ticket, Manchin remained noncommittal, saying, “We’ll just have to see what happens.” He hinted at the possibility of other candidates entering the race, including independents and potential third-party runs from No Labels.
Edward-Isaac Dovere of CNN contributed to this report.