Manchin Considers Running for Office

Retiring Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., a longtime conservative Democrat who recently registered as an independent, stated on Monday that he currently has no plans to run for office in the current election cycle. However, he did not rule out the possibility of a future political bid.

“I am not running,” Manchin told MetroNews on Monday. When asked about a potential future run, he added, “I’ve never closed doors. You don’t know what the political arena is going to have. You don’t know what’s going to happen in this toxic political world. So I’ve never shut down any options whatsoever. But I have no intentions of running for any political office, elected office.”

Last week, Manchin dismissed speculation about running in West Virginia’s gubernatorial race and voiced his support for Steve Williams, the Democratic nominee.

Having served as West Virginia’s governor for six years before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010, Manchin has frequently diverged from the Democratic Party line. His decision to leave the party last week marked a significant move towards independence.

“I’ve always been independent,” Manchin said. “You know, I’ve never been wedded to any party.”