Manchin: "No timeline” for decision on potential third-party White House run
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Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va) said Sunday there is "no timeline" for a decision on whether to launch a potential third-party run for president in 2024.
Why it matters: Manchin, who has flirted with the possibility of a White House bid after announcing he would not seek another Senate term, unveiled plans to tour the country for two months beginning in January to mobilize voters who feel like they are "politically homeless."
What he's saying: Manchin said "there is no timeline" for a possible presidential bid when asked if he would have an idea of when, or if, he might decide to run following his two-month tour, per an interview on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday.
- "I haven't said I'm going to run for president. I have said that basically, this country doesn't work from the extremes," Manchin said.
- "You can't have the extreme right and the extreme left with all these extreme ideas, and you can't weaponize our system to make thinking that anybody on the other side that you're not on is your enemy and you treat them as an enemy," he added.
- Manchin also said he thinks "we've never seen the voters this displeased with the candidates they think they're going to be receiving right now."
Zoom out: Last week, Manchin rejected notions about being a spoiler candidate were he to run in 2024, saying he's "never been a spoiler in anything."
- Meanwhile, a third-party bid from Manchin could hinder President Biden's re-election campaign and would further solidify the base of presidential contenders standing in Biden's way.
Go deeper: Manchin launching tour to weigh interest from "politically homeless"
