Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced this week that he would not seek another term representing West Virginia in the U.S. Senate. The former governor made the decision following a number of polls indicating an uphill battle against current West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R).
Manchin cited his time in the Senate and stated that despite the difficult choice, he would not seek another term.
Big news: Joe Manchin won’t be running for re-election in West Virginia. This seat will be a 2024 pick up for Republicans so we are back to 50-50 Senate. And Ohio and Montana look good for Republicans. pic.twitter.com/49wc7YcSdn
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) November 9, 2023
The incumbent’s decision not to seek another term also comes as unwelcome news for the Democratic Party. Manchin’s seat is key to the party retaining control of the Senate next year. With his retirement, it will almost certainly fall into Republican hands.
Since Justice announced his candidacy, Manchin remained behind in a number of prominent polls. In addition, Manchin’s approval and favorability ratings fell significantly following his support of the Inflation Reduction Act touted by President Joe Biden.
Despite Machin’s exit from the Senate race, there is speculation that he may involve himself in another political cause. He has been a part of the group ‘No Labels,’ which is reportedly considering aiding a third-party challenge for the presidency.
“The Senate will lose a great leader when he leaves, but we commend Senator Manchin for stepping up to lead a long overdue national conversation about solving America’s biggest challenges, including inflation, an insecure border, out-of-control debt and growing threats from abroad,” the group wrote in a statement.
“What I will be doing is traveling the country and speaking out to see if there is an interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle and bring Americans together,” the senator said.
Manchin had previously indicated that he could seek some office in 2024.
The news also came as a group was filed with the Federal Election Commission to try and convince Manchin and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) to seek the White House on a third-party ticket. Romney declined to run for another term as Utah’s senator.
His staff immediately denied that he was considering seeking the presidency again.
Both Justice and Biden thanked Manchin for his tenure in statements issued this week.
