What Manchin and Huntsman said about running for president for a third party
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Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., left the possibility of a third-party presidential bid open at an event Monday in New Hampshire with former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman.
“We need options,” Manchin said, arguing the two major political parties had become too extreme.
Billed as a “Common Sense Town Hall,” the event was held at Saint Anselm College and sponsored by the third-party group No Labels.
Manchin described himself as “the most independent Democrat you’ve ever met,” and said he hadn’t made a decision about running — “I’m not here running for president tonight, I’m not.” Responding to criticism a third-party bid could put former President Donald Trump back in the White House, Manchin said he wouldn’t run unless he thought he could win.
“I’ve never been in any race I’ve ever spoiled, I’ve been in races to win, and if I get in the race I’m going to win,” he said.
When asked if Huntsman could be a potential running mate, Manchin said that was getting the cart ahead of the horse. He said independent voters were critical in elections.
“Either side can’t win without the independent,” he said. “If they have another option, then they’re in trouble.”
Huntsman, who ran for the Republican nomination in 2012, indicated he wasn’t interested in running for president again and questioned what it might mean if next year’s election ended up being a rematch between President Joe Biden and Trump.
“If we end up in 2024 with the same set of nominees that we did in 2020, I mean is that insanity?” Huntsman said. “Is that the definition of insanity or what?”
Related
The progressive group MoveOn and Third Way, a center-left think tank, are hoping to stop a possible No Labels presidential bid next year, according to Politico, which reported officials from the group plan to brief Senate Democratic chiefs of staff about the risks of a third-party candidacy later this month.
In a June memo, Third Way said No Labels has “no hope of winning” and “would almost certainly serve as a spoiler for Trump.”
A June NBC News poll found 44% of U.S. voters said they’re open to an independent or third-party candidate for president next year, including 45% of Democrats and 34% of Republicans.
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Little polling has been done on how U.S. voters feel about a matchup between Trump, Biden and Manchin, but FiveThirtyEight found five surveys that showed Trump benefitting in three-way races with either Manchin, Republican and former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan or Green Party candidate Cornel West.
No Labels was founded in 2010 and will be on the ballot in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado and Oregon, according to The Associated Press. The group, which does not disclose its donors, hopes to secure ballot access in other states, but in Arizona it’s received pushback from the Arizona Democratic Party, which filed a complaint last week seeking to require the group to disclose its donors or be suspended as a party in the state.
