Sen. Joe Manchin (D-Va.) vowed Monday that he has no intention of endorsing any presidential candidate “at this time” as he moves forward with a focus on centrist politics.
Asked by CNN’s Caitlan Collins if he plans to support President Biden, Manchin said, “No one is supporting him at this point. We’ll see what happens.”
“There’s still plenty of time here,” he continued. “I’m going to do everything I can to help bring them back to the center and show them where the strength of this country is and where the voting bloc of this country is.”
Asked what would happen if Democratic senators don’t support the president, he said he’s focused on centrists.
“I’m just … trying to do everything I can to make sure that the heart of this country has a path forward to be represented,” Manchin responded. “And that’s center-left and center-right.”
Manchin then added that “extreme events” are occurring in this country, citing former Republican President Donald Trump as an example.
“I believe there are still enough good Republicans and Democrats who want this centrist approach to governing,” he said.
Asked what he would do if a rematch between Biden and Trump were decided in November, Manchin kept his cards close to his chest.
“Well, we’ll just have to see what happens. It’s going to take a long time for that to happen,” the senator argued. “Right now, there may be other entrants. There are still some independents.”
“There may still be third-party operations from No Labels,” he added. “And we’ll look at what opportunities are there and what options are there.”
His comments came days after he announced on Friday that he would not jump into the race, ending swirling speculation that he would launch a third-party bid.
Manchin said in his decision that he intends to be “committed” to “ensuring we have a president who is knowledgeable, passionate, and capable of uniting this country.”
Collins referenced his remarks Monday and asked Manchin whether he was a candidate with the three qualities Biden mentioned.
“That’s Joe Biden, I’ve known for a long time. I mean… I’ve had conversations with him and with his allies that he’s gone too far to the left. They pushed him. yanked, pulled, and whatever else,” the senator responded. “But that’s not where America is. That’s not our country.”
“So if that’s possible, I hope that the Joe Biden we saw in 2020 will be the Joe Biden we see in 2024,” he added. “Otherwise, it’s going to be a long road for everyone.”
Manchin, one of the most moderate Senate Democrats, announced in November that he would not seek re-election to the Senate and would use his time to gauge voters’ interest in “building a movement to unite centrists.” I promised.
In December, he launched Americans Together, a group to counter political extremism.
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