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Sen. Joe Manchin on Sunday urged President Joe Biden to step back from seeking re-election as the Democratic presidential nominee, advocating instead for a “new generation” of leadership.
During his remarks, Manchin indicated he preferred to look beyond Vice President Kamala Harris, often considered a leading contender for the nomination should Biden decide not to run.
During an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” the veteran West Virginia lawmaker praised Biden’s record but asserted that the party needed a new candidate for the general election. He expressed a particular preference for governors. “I came to the decision with a heavy heart that it’s time to pass the torch to a new generation,” he said.
When asked about his vision for a nomination process, the retiring lawmaker called for an “open process” among Democrats. “I think that we have a lot of talent on the bench, a lot of good people,” he added. “I’m partial to governors because a governor can’t afford to be partial. They can’t afford to be partisan, strictly, because that pothole or that bridge doesn’t have a ‘D’ or ‘R’ on it.”
Manchin highlighted Govs. Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania as examples of unifying leaders who “haven’t demonized the other side.”
The senator went on to suggest that Biden should use his empathy to serve as a stabilizing figure for the nation for the rest of his term. Manchin, who announced in May that he left the Democratic Party to register as an independent, is not seeking re-election this fall in his increasingly Republican-leaning state.
With Sunday’s statement, Manchin joins four other Democratic or Democratic-aligned senators in urging Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race. Despite his independent status, Manchin still caucuses with Democrats in the Senate.
Throughout Biden’s presidency, Manchin has been pivotal in shaping the Democratic domestic agenda, often posing challenges for the White House. His opposition to Biden’s expansive Build Back Better proposal contributed to its legislative downfall. Nevertheless, Manchin was instrumental in drafting the Inflation Reduction Act, a major Democratic initiative that Biden signed into law in 2022.
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