Sen. Joe Manchin To Speak At No Labels Meeting, Heightening Democratic Fears

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) will be a keynote speaker at a No Labels town hall meeting on Monday. The political organization has been working toward a third-party presidential ticket on the 2024 ballot.

Manchin has remained quiet about his own plans for a possible presidential bid. His Senate term is coming to an end and two Republicans have already announced campaigns for his seat: Gov. Jim Justice (R-West Virginia) and Rep. Alex Mooney (R-West Virginia). As the only Democrat who could win in the red state, the seat could shift control in the Senate if Manchin doesn’t run and win.

No Labels’ efforts have concerned Democrats, as many fear that it could divert votes away from President Joe Biden and result in the election of Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. The organization has been courting Manchin to run on their ticket.

Former Michigan GOP Rep. Fred Upton said that a presidential bid from No Labels is contingent on the major parties’ nominees.

“In essence, if it’s Trump and Biden and a majority of Americans say, ‘No, we don’t want a rematch again,’ that’s what we’re shooting for, to actually have a Republican presidential candidate and a Democratic vice presidential… candidate,” said Upton in a CBS interview. “But if it’s not Trump and Biden, or if Biden has a statistical lead, we’ll throw the cards in.”