WASHINGTON − Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., is still stirring the political pot on a possible third party presidential bid.
The West Virginia senator, who has been attacked by some Democrats for opposing parts of President Joe Biden’s spending programs, told Fox News Sunday that he is “not ruling anything in” and “not ruling anything out” with respect to a third party bid.
Manchin, who also discussed the third-party possibility on NBC’s Meet The Press, said voters are tired of Democratic and Republican parties that have become too liberal or too conservative.
“You better have Plan B” if “Plan A shows that we’re going to the far reaches of both sides, the far left and the far right,” Manchin told Fox News.
Democrats who attacked Manchin in recent years have also urged him to avoid a third-party bid, saying it could split the moderate vote and elect a Republican, perhaps former President Donald Trump.
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There is a vehicle for a third general election candidate: An organization called No Labels is raising money, trying to get on ballots and planning a convention in order to nominate a ticket.
Manchin also faces a re-election bid in West Virginia and has already drawn a formidable Republican opponent in Gov. Jim Justice.
