WASHINGTON – Senator Joe Manchin, DW.Va.is still stirring the political pot over a possible third-party presidential bid.
The West Virginia senator, who has come under attack from some Democrats for opposing parts of President Joe Biden’s spending packages, told Fox News on Sunday that he is “not ruling anything out” and “not excludes nothing” with respect to a third party offer.
Manchin, who also discussed the possibility of a third party on NBC’s Meet The Press, said voters are tired of Democratic and Republican parties that have gotten too liberal or too conservative.
“You better have a plan B” if “plan A shows that we’re going to the edges of both sides, the far left and the far right,” Manchin told Fox News.
Democrats who have attacked Manchin in recent years have also urged him to avoid a third-party nomination, saying it could split the moderate vote and elect a Republican, possibly former President Donald Trump.
There is a vehicle for a third candidate in the general election: an organization called No Labels is raising money, trying to get ballots, and planning a convention to nominate a candidate.
Manchin also faces a re-election bid in West Virginia and has already attracted a formidable Republican challenger in Gov. Jim Justice.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joe Manchin for President? West Virginia senator considers third-party offer