In an interview with local media outlet West Virginia Metro News, Senator Joe Manchin said that he is “seriously” considering leaving the Democratic Party and running as an independent in the 2024 election, although he didn’t specify if his run would be for president or senator.
“I would think very seriously about that. I’ve been thinking about that for quite some time. I haven’t made any decisions whatsoever on any of my political direction,” Manchin told the outlet. “I want to make sure my voice is truly an independent voice, when I’m speaking I’m speaking about the good the Republicans do and the good the Democrats continue to do.”
Manchin said he doesn’t believe a third party presidential candidate would disrupt American democracy. “The bottom line is–will the middle speak up? Does the middle have a voice? If we can create a movement that people understand that we could have a voice. We could make a big, big splash and maybe bring the traditional parties, the Democratic and Republican Party, back to what they should be today but they’ve gone off the Richter Scale, both sides.”