Is He Running? Joe Manchin to Headline ‘No Labels’ Event in New Hampshire

Well, he’s running for something even if it’s shy of the presidency, but don’t count anything out just yet.

The No Labels crowd hasn’t accomplished over the years much in terms of national politics other than siphoning some campaign donations and holding blithe gatherings in early primary states. The goal of the group is quite simple: The self-imposed labels of Democrat and Republican have failed the country, so it’s time for a new kind of leader to unite voters and win the day.

The problem with No Labels is that it typically relies on retreads and has-beens trying to revive a political career outside the major parties.

Enter West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin who will be headlining a No Labels event in New Hampshire, a move sure to fuel speculation about a possible third party presidential run, according to The Thill:

No Labels, an organization advocating for a third-party candidate, announced that Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) will be joining its New Hampshire town hall as speculation grows over whether the senator will make a third-party bid for the White House.

Amid polling showing a potential rematch between President Biden and former President Trump, No Labels has been pushing to create a separate “unity ticket” as a third option for voters in 2024.

The group announced Wednesday that Manchin and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R), who ran for president in 2012, will be the keynote speakers during its “Common Sense” town hall at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire on July 17.

Manchin, who is up for reelection next year, is a top target for Republicans hoping to recapture the Senate. He has yet to announce his plans for 2024 but has not ruled out a presidential bid.

Manchion already holds quite a bit of power over his own party and, quite frankly, President Biden. If he were to actually launch a third party bid for the White House in 2024, it would inevitably benefit the eventual Republican nominee and siphon votes away from Joe Biden.

Biden is so fragile, however, that Democrats remain concerned the group could potentially cause problems in tight races, especially in Arizona:

Democrats have raised concerns about a third-party candidate hurting Biden’s chances of reelection, swinging a possible rematch toward Trump, who currently holds a large lead in polls of the GOP primary despite recent indictments.

No Labels said in June that it would end its third-party push if Biden is “way” ahead of Trump in the polls by next spring. The group has already secured places on the ballot in Arizona, Alaska, Colorado and Oregon.

It seems like every cycle is the cycle that a third party option could make a dent in the national conversation. Then nothing happens, nothing materializes, and everyone retreats to their partisan corners. Again, part of the issue is the potential pool of third party candidates to choose from.

For a few years, it was former Ohio Gov. John Kasich touring around the country considered to be one of the standard bearers of the No Labels creed. Once again, however, Kasich is simply a boring moderate Republican unlikely to unite anyone not sitting around his Thanksgiving dinner table.

So, what to make of Manchin dipping his toe in the No Labels group? It’s likely more of a power move than anything else, a signal to his party that he is simply not owned by the left-wing tilt of national Democrats and remains willing to work with anyone on either side of the aisle.

In short, Manchin is Manchin, and his ability to survive, as a Democrat in Trump-friendly West Virginia, is impressive from a political standpoint. He knows where the wind blows and speaking to a group pushing for a more moderate and pragmatic political climate can’t hurt his “maverick-ish” reputation.

Will he run for president in 2024? Seems unlikely as doing so would truly enrage whatever Democrats might be left to vote for him.

On the other hand, he remains one of the most powerful forces in Washington as a Senator, so maybe the presidency would be a demotion.