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(The Hill) -- Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) said Monday that helium is not moving for bureau successful the aftermath of speculation that helium would prosecute the Democratic statesmanlike information aft President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid Sunday.
“I’m not moving for office,” Manchin told “CBS Mornings” on Monday, adding, “I’m not looking…I don’t request that successful my life.”
“Let maine marque it precise wide to you, I americium not going to beryllium a campaigner for president,” helium added.
Manchin's remarks came little than a time aft reports surfaced that helium was considering reregistering as a Democrat to tally against Vice President Kamala Harris, who was endorsed by Biden to regenerate him connected the ticket.
The West Virginia lawmaker called for a mini-primary and said helium “could not believe” specified a process was not going to instrumentality place.
“People are looking successful the middle. Where bash you? Well, we’d similar to spot that. We’re not going to beryllium capable to spot a vigorous, adjacent a three-week superior process,” Manchin said. “No 1 other is consenting to talk up. They’ll say, ‘Well, we’re falling behind. We’re conscionable going to get successful line. I’m sorry, I don’t hold with that.”
Manchin said determination are respective topics worthy discussing, pointing to borderline security.
His comments to CBS marked his astir definitive reply regarding a imaginable statesmanlike bid aft stopping abbreviated of confirmation connected CNN conscionable moments earlier.
When asked connected CNN if helium volition tally against Harris for the Democratic nomination, helium said, “I don’t deliberation that, I don’t know. I just, we’ll see.”
He besides called for “going done immoderate benignant of process” to prime the strongest campaigner and ruled out serving arsenic Harris’s vice president.
A longtime Democrat known for his centrist views, Manchin became an independent in May and floated a superior bid against Biden but yet decided against it.
He is not seeking reelection successful the Senate this November.
Biden withdrew from the 2024 predetermination Sunday, capping disconnected a 50-year-long governmental career.
It followed a tumultuous period for the president, whose mediocre statement showing against erstwhile President Donald Trump past period fueled concerns for immoderate wrong the Democratic Party implicit his viability arsenic a candidate.
The president said helium volition code the federation aboriginal this week to sermon his determination to yet driblet out.
“It has been the top grant of my beingness to service arsenic your President. And portion it has been my volition to question reelection, I judge it is successful the champion involvement of my enactment and the state for maine to basal down and absorption solely connected fulfilling my duties arsenic President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote in a letter posted to societal media.
Hours earlier Biden released the letter, Manchin became the 5th senator to telephone connected Biden to permission the statesmanlike race.
“I came to the determination with a dense bosom that I deliberation it’s clip to walk the torch to a caller generation,” Manchin told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”
