Sen. Joe Manchin’s decision not to run for re-election did not rule out a third-party run against President Biden, an idea he has been considering for a while.
Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, says he is not concerned about it.
“I’m not very worried about him running as a third-party candidate,” Mr. Murphy said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “If he does, he probably draws more votes from Donald Trump than he does from Joe Biden.”
The decision by Mr. Manchin, a conservative West Virginia Democrat, to not seek re-election has given a boost to Republican hopes of regaining control of the Senate. The Senate seat will likely go to Republican Gov. Jim Justice, forcing Democrats to hold onto seats in several battleground states.
Mr. Murphy remains optimistic.
“You know, two years ago people didn’t think that we could hold the United States Senate. We had to essentially win every single competitive race,” he said. “But we did, in part because the Republican candidates were — and still are — wildly extreme. Our candidates were really excellent, and that dynamic is still in play in 2024.”
