(Headline USA) Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., shot down reports on Monday that he was considering challenging Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination during the party’s convention.
The senator sparked rumors over the weekend that he might launch his own last-minute bid for the presidency after President Joe Biden announced he would not be seeking reelection less than a month before the party’s convention.
But when pressed, Manchin confirmed on Monday that he’ll fall into line behind Harris, who has received endorsements from Biden, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and other top Democrats, the Wall Street Journal reported.
“I don’t need that in my life,” Manchin said. “I’m not running for office. I’m not going to be a candidate for president.”
Manchin said he is only interested in “speaking for the middle of this country,” and shot a thinly veiled warning at Harris, who he has described as “too far left,” according to some reports.
“Joe Biden came out of a very contested primary in 2020, and he rose because he was that moderate figure,” Manchin claimed.
“He always operated in the middle,” Manchin added, contrary to evidence that Biden’s presidency was, in fact, deeply partisan and divisive. “He could make a deal with people on the Right and the Left.”
The senator did, however, argue that the party should hold a true open convention and allow several candidates to vie for the position.
“I believe it would help strengthen Kamala and her position too,” he added. “But that’s already been predetermined, so we’ll see what happens. I think it’s a mistake, but it’s one that they have made.”
Manchin vented his frustration that Democratic leadership seemed already to have stacked the odds in Harris’s favor.
“Why is everyone afraid to speak out? Why are they afraid to say ‘This system is wrong’?” Manchin asked.
“The Democratic Party has gone too far left. The Republican Party has Donald Trump on the far right. People are looking in the middle, where do you go?” he said. “No one else is willing to speak up. They just say, ‘We’re falling behind, we’re going to get in line.’ I”m sorry, I don’t agree with that.”
