They say revenge is a dish best served cold, and Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia may be getting ready to set out the plates.
According to Red State, the Democratic senator is scheduled to attend an event in New Hampshire hosted by No Labels, a centrist group exploring the possibility of fielding a third-party candidate in the upcoming presidential election.
SCOOP: Joe Manchin is headed to New Hampshire on Monday with No Labels amid speculation of a third-party challenge to President Biden. He and Jon Huntsman will headline a No Labels event in Manchester: https://t.co/gj3pmQfYm0
— Emily Goodin (@Emilylgoodin) July 12, 2023
Concerned Democrats are actively working to prevent this move, fearing that it could potentially divert votes from President Joe Biden and inadvertently aid former President Donald Trump in securing a general election victory, if he wins the Republican primary.
Once regarded as a voice of reason within the Democratic Party and enjoying broad support from Republicans in West Virginia, Manchin faced significant backlash when he attempted to play the hero to far-left elements with the wildly expensive Inflation Reduction Act.
According to a Washington Post report published July 30, 2022, Democratic Sen. Chris Coons, from Biden’s home state of Delaware, convinced Manchin that his vote could appease the radical elements within the party who had been strongly critical of him. However, the outcome was predictable.
The promises made by Manchin’s own party members regarding reforms were not fulfilled, and the White House’s opposition to the coal industry persisted. Meanwhile, the far-left continued to vehemently oppose Manchin’s attempts at bipartisanship at every juncture.
In turn, Manchin accused the Biden administration of undermining the purported goals of the Inflation Reduction Act. In a commentary piece published by The Wall Street Journal on March 29, he called on the president to “rein in this extremism.”
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Additionally, incidents like Biden mocking Manchin during a speech, albeit in a friendly manner, further exacerbated Manchin’s problems with voters in his largely conservative, coal-producing Mountain State.
BIDEN greets Democrat Senator Joe Manchin: “I like the fact Joe Manchin’s standing all this time. He’s a friend. Hi JoJo, how are ya, pal?” pic.twitter.com/JSVMQYwhi1
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 26, 2023
Manchin, who previously served as an honorary co-chair of No Labels, will be the main speaker at the town hall meeting, alongside former Republican Gov. of Utah, Jon Huntsman. The event is set to take place on Monday, July 17th, at Saint Anselm’s College in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Manchin has been publicly non-committal about a potential presidential run.
“I don’t rule myself in and I don’t rule myself out,” he told The Washington Post in an article published April 2.
So Joe Manchin is seriously considering running for President in 2024? https://t.co/OAHGALIoVl
— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) January 23, 2023
Even though he would have little to no chance of winning, if Manchin were to pursue such a path, it could have significant implications for the electoral landscape, and the move would likely hand the election to a Republican.
The prospect of a third-party run has some Democrats frantic. According to a report Tuesday in The Washington Post, former Democratic Rep. Richard Gephardt is expected to announce a group next week specifically to battle the No Labels effort.
“No Labels equals Trump,” Greg Schneiders, a former aide to President Jimmy Carter who now runs a polling group that has done early work for the the Gephardt group, told the Post. “It is going to affect the race and it is going to affect it negatively for Biden, and it is probably going to elect Donald Trump.”
A New York Times/Siena College poll, reported by the Times on Tuesday, revealed that 64 percent of Democratic voters would prefer a new candidate in the 2024 presidential campaign.
That means a potential third party in the race is not good news for the Democrats. After being mocked, put down and betrayed by his own party, the outcast of the Democratic Party may just get the last laugh.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
