Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) is considering rejoining the Democratic Party and jumping into the presidential race, according to several reports.
Fox News’s Bret Baier reported that Manchin, who left the Democratic Party in May and registered as an independent, is “considering re-registering as a Democrat and throwing his hat into the ring for President.”
Manchin has been described as being a moderate Democrat.
Baier added that CNN anchor Jake Tapper had been the first to report the news.
In a post on X, Tapper wrote that “sources close to” Manchin had revealed the senator is “considering re-registering” with the Democratic Party.
News that Manchin is considering rejoining the Democratic Party comes hours after President Joe Biden revealed that he was withdrawing from the presidential election. Biden went on to offer his “full support and endorsement” for Vice President Kamala Harris to be the party’s presidential nominee.
“My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote. “My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats – it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
Since Biden’s announcement that he would not be seeking reelection, several Democrats such as former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) have issued statements of support for Harris to be the party’s nominee.
Manchin has previously considered launching a third-party run for president. In February, Manchin put months of speculation as to whether he was launching a run for president to rest.
