Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., is keeping almost all of his options open for 2024, including a potential run for the White House.
“Everything’s on the table,” Manchin said during an appearance on “Meet the Press” Sunday, where he did not rule out a presidential run.
“The only thing I can tell you is what I will do is whatever I can when I make my decision, what I think is the best that I can [to] support and represent the people of West Virginia — but also be true to this country and the Constitution of this country,” Manchin said when asked directly about running for president.
But he did appear to rule out another run for governor, saying, “No, I’ve done that.”
Manchin is up for re-election next year, and stressed he has not made a decision about his next steps. But Democrats are certainly hoping he’ll run for another term as he may be the only Democrat who can hold onto a state former President Donald Trump won by 39 points in 2020. Rep. Alex Mooney is already running on the Republican side, and term-limited GOP Gov. Jim Justice has also been weighing a run.
Manchin is one of three Democrats up for re-election in states Trump won, including Ohio’s Sherrod Brown, who is running again, and Montana’s Jon Tester, who has yet to announce whether he’s running for re-election.
In other campaign news…
Gallego makes it official: Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego announced Monday morning that he’s running for Senate in Arizona, launching his campaign with a three-and-a-half-minute biographical video. Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who recently left the Democratic Party, has not yet said if she is running for re-election.
Virginia is for lovers, not Ford’s EV battery plant: Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s decision to oppose a battery factory in his state, and the 2,500 manufacturing jobs that would have come with it, is only adding to speculation he’s eyeing a presidential bid, per NBC News’ Alex Seitz-Wald.
FOR SUBSCRIBERSIt’s rarely been harder for people to find new jobs
FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision
FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane
FOR SUBSCRIBERSIt’s rarely been harder for people to find new jobs
FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision
FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane
Lose the battle, win the war: While a federal judge ruled that Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ suspension of a state attorney violated free speech, the judge said he couldn’t reverse the decision.
JOMD won’t return to her old J-O-B: Bloomberg reports that former Biden campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon, the president’s current deputy chief of staff, won’t reprise her role on the president’s 2024 campaign.
The ballad of the swing seat Republicans: NBC News’ Sahil Kapur reports on how swing-seat Republicans in the House are trying to handle the political push-and-pull of the new GOP majority, where more conservative lawmakers have already extracted concessions from Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Trump talk: Ahead of his campaign event this weekend in South Carolina, the Washington Post reports that former President Donald Trump is struggling to consolidate support in the Palmetto State, with two South Carolinians weighing their own runs for president. Trump, meanwhile, has also weighed into some party races, backing Matt DePerno, who has denied the 2020 election results, for Michigan GOP chairman. He also backed Washington GOP Chairman Caleb Heimlich’s re-election and North Carolina Republican Chairman Michael Whatley’s bid for RNC co-chair.
RNC race: Politico reports that Harmeet Dhillon, who is running to lead the Republican National Committee, is courting anti-Trump Republicans as she tries to flip votes from members who have already backed Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel.
No sunshine for Dems in Florida: The Washington Post delves into Democrats’ despair in Florida, where they’re concerned the national party will write off the once-perennial battleground.
