Manchin on who he’d “hypothetically” pick as running mate for 2024 independent ticket: “Mitt Romney. Maybe Rob Portman.”

While speaking at a breakfast forum at the City Club of Cleveland, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) was asked who he would pick to run alongside him on a hypothetical 2024 independent ticket.

Manchin, who announced in November that he was not seeking reelection to the Senate, has been open that he is considering a potential third-party bid for the White House.

“Hypothetically, if I was picking my running mate … really, who I would ask right now is Mitt Romney,” Manchin said in Cleveland Thursday. “Maybe Rob Portman. Rob Portman would be right there too. Rob’s a dear friend of mine. What a good man. What a good man.”

Last week, the moderate was asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper what his deadline is for making a decision on whether to officially run or not. “Well, Jake, I said, look at Super Tuesday. I think Super Tuesday will define what we have and what we’re dealing with,” Manchin replied.

Super Tuesday this year is March 5.