Independent Sen. Joe Manchin on Sunday called on President Joe Biden to exit the race against former President Donald Trump.
“I came to the decision with a heavy heart that I think it’s time to pass the torch to new generation,” said Manchin on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
The West Virginia senator, who registered as an independent in May but caucuses with Democrats, also called for an open nomination process, suggesting Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear as contenders. That contrasts with others who view Vice President Kamala Harris as the favorite to take over the top of the ticket.
As Manchin made the rounds on the Sunday broadcast media junket, he reiterated that he still believes Biden has the mental acuity to finish the rest of his term. Manchin also said that the Biden team knew ahead of time that he was going to make this call.
The pressure campaign on Biden to drop his reelection bid has been growing since his debate disaster against Trump in June. Along with Manchin, at least 36 Democratic lawmakers, including four senators, have called on Biden to exit the race and allow a new nominee to take the helm of the ticket.
Over the past week, Manchin had been hinting at his slipping support for Biden as the presumptive Democratic nominee.
The day after the attempted assassination of Trump at his Pennsylvania rally, Manchin released a statement condemning political violence and acknowledging the vulnerabilities of the Democratic Party with Biden at the top of the ticket.
“At a time when the Democratic Party must realize they risk losing the Senate and even the House, in addition to losing the presidency, they are doing nothing to broaden the tent and appeal to more Americans,” Manchin wrote last Sunday.
“Sadly, their vocal support for President Biden in the face of his irreparable debate performance, are just evidence of how much control the far left has over the current administration,” he added.
Throughout the Biden administration, Manchin has positioned himself as a conservative Democrat, sometimes opposing large parts of the president’s agenda.
Earlier this election cycle, he appeared to toy with the idea of launching his own bid for the White House as an independent, which seemed more likely after he announced he would not run for Senate reelection, leaving his seat open in a deep-red state. But in February, he quieted the speculation and stated he would not launch a third-party campaign.
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