Sen. Joe Manchin may be considering challenging Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic presidential ticket, according to a report on Sunday. The longtime moderate West Virginia Democrat who turned independent this year has been weighing whether to return to the Democratic Party and make a run for the White House, sources close to his office told CNN.
The 76-year-old recently called for then-presidential candidate Joe Biden to drop out of the race, just hours before Biden announced his withdrawal from the race on Sunday morning. I’m hoping for that because I think it will leave him with a tremendous legacy as one of the greatest leaders that we’ve had,” Manchin said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” He added, “I say this and I came to the decision with a heavy heart, that I think it’s time to pass the torch to a new generation.
Prior to leaving the Democrat party to stand as an independent in May, Manchin announced that he would not seek reelection for his Senate seat — but seemed to backtrack when pressed about it earlier in the summer. In June, he told CNN, “You never leave any political opportunity and walk away from that, so you always have options, because life is full of surprises. But I have no intention of running for political office.
