Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia on Monday poured cold water on speculation that he would register as a Democrat again and pursue the Democratic presidential nomination following President Biden’s exit from the race.
“I’m not running for office,” the independent senator told “CBS Mornings.”
“I’m not going to be a candidate for president,” he continued. “I don’t need that in my life.”
Speaking on “CNN This Morning,” Manchin, who’s not running for reelection, said he also would not be interested in serving as Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate.
“It’s a new generation, you don’t want a 76-year-old vice president right now,” he said.
Manchin on Sunday joined the chorus of lawmakers calling on Biden to step aside just hours before the president posted a letter on X announcing his decision to exit the race.
“I’m hoping for that because I think that will leave him with a tremendous legacy as one of the greatest leaders we’ve had,” Manchin said on MSNBC, joining calls from his colleagues Sens. Peter Welch (D-VT), Jon Tester (D-MT), Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) for Biden to step aside. “I came to this decision with a heavy heart. I think it’s time to pass the torch to a new generation.”
In his letter, Biden said serving as president has been "the greatest honor of my life."
"And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term," he said.
Biden will address the nation later this week about his decision. He is currently at his Rehoboth Beach home recovering from COVID.