Joe Manchin Raises $1.3 Million Amid Speculation He Could Run For President

Topline

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) raised $1.3 million during the second quarter, he announced Thursday—as he toys with a third-party presidential run that has raised alarms among Democrats who fear a Manchin campaign could be detrimental to President Joe Biden’s reelection chances and cost them control of the Senate.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, March 07, 2023, in Washington, DC. (Photo by … [+] Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The Washington Post via Getty Images

Key Facts

Manchin raised $1.3 million for his Senate campaign between April and June—far more than the two Republicans who have announced challenges for his seat, Gov. Jim Justice and Rep. Alex Mooney, who raised just under $1 million and $550,000, respectively.

The fundraising haul comes as Manchin is set to headline a town hall hosted by the centrist political group, No Labels, in the early primary state of New Hampshire on Monday, a move that has fueled speculation he could be weighing a third-party presidential bid.

Manchin denied the event has anything to do with potential presidential aspirations in a brief interview with CNN on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, but also said he has “not ruled out anything or ruled in anything.”

Manchin said in a statement announcing his participation in the No Labels event that it is intended to promote “debates around common-sense solutions to solve the pressing issues facing our nation,” adding “most Americans are exceedingly frustrated by the growing divide in our political parties and toxic political rhetoric from our elected leaders.”

Manchin has yet to announce whether he will seek reelection to the Senate, saying he won’t decide on future plans until “the end of the year.”

Chief Critic

Some Democrats warn a Manchin presidential candidacy could not only prevent them from retaining control of the White House, but also the Senate. Democrats hold a one-seat majority in the upper chamber and Manchin’s seat is vulnerable to a Republican challenge as West Virginia has increasingly veered red and Manchin’s approval ratings have steeply declined, largely over his support for Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which he has since threatened to repeal, citing issues with its implementation. Democrats have openly voiced their concerns. “I have advised him against [running for president],” Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) told Politico. “I think it would be a terrible idea. It would help Donald Trump.”

Contra

Manchin has dismissed concerns that running for president would prevent Biden from being reelected, noting in a recent interview with Politico that former President Bill Clinton was elected in 1992 despite a challenge from independent businessman Ross Perot—even though some Republicans blamed Perot’s entry into the race for spoiling then-President George H.W. Bush’s reelection chances. “Then how did Perot get Bill Clinton elected?” he said. “Everybody’s getting so worked up and scared to death, and we’re a year and a half away.” Some Senate Democrats have said it’s concerning, but unlikely, that Manchin would run for president, given that it would all but guarantee a Republican replaces him in the Senate. “If Gov. Justice thinks he’s gonna sweep Joe Manchin aside, I know that Joe Manchin is like, ‘Are you kidding me? No way,’” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) told Politico.

Tangent

Biden’s relatively low approval rating and concerns about his age have also drawn interest in alternative Democratic candidates. Biden challenger Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has higher favorability ratings than Biden in some polls, despite his controversial skepticism of vaccines. Democrats have also warned that Green Party candidate and left-wing academic Cornel West’s presidential run could siphon votes from Biden. In another sign of anxiety among Democrats surrounding Biden’s reelection bid, California Gov. Gavin Newsom appears to be running a pseudo presidential campaign of his own while stumping for Biden in the event he for some reason drops out of the race.

Surprising Fact

Manchin often keeps his political decisions close to the vest, which some Washington insiders have characterized as a power play. After Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) switched her party affiliation from Democratic to independent in December, Manchin left open the possibility he could do the same, and has yet to say if he’s made a final decision, despite doubts he would ever defect from the party his dynastic political family has belonged to for more than a century.

Key Background

Manchin, the most conservative Democrat in the Senate, has been a thorn in the side of his colleagues in the upper chamber, where his decision to sometimes cast the deciding vote alongside Republicans on key issues has given him outsized power, particularly when the Senate was split 50-50 prior to Democrats gaining a seat during the November midterms. He was the only Democrat to vote in favor of conservative Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation in 2018, and he stalled passage of Biden’s signature climate and social spending agenda, Build Back Better, last year. In recent months, he’s threatened to vote to repeal Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which he helped write, and has criticized aspects of the president’s policies to promote manufacturing of electric vehicles.

What To Watch For

Manchin must declare his intentions for his future in the Senate by West Virginia’s January filing deadline.