Independent Sen. Joe Manchin is considering returning to the Democratic Party and joining the presidential race now that President Biden has announced he will not seek re-election.
The West Virginia senator had previously been mentioned as a possible unity candidate during the primary season, but declined to run.
In late May, Manchin left the Democratic Party after decades in office as a Democrat and registered as an independent.
But Manchin is now considering reversing course and re-registering as a Democrat to run for president, a source confirmed to DailyMail.com.
The announcement comes after Biden announced Sunday afternoon that he would not seek reelection and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the nomination. Harris later announced that she would run for the Democratic presidential nomination, but it is not a done deal.
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin is reportedly considering re-registering as a Democrat to enter the presidential race.
Some Democratic officials immediately rushed to endorse her, but others abstained and called for the Democratic process to play out until delegates are due to officially select their nominee next month.
Earlier on Sunday, Manchin joined the growing chorus of elected officials calling on Biden to step aside.
“I made the decision with a heavy heart that I think it’s time to pass the torch to a new generation,” Manchin said in a series of interviews on the Sunday show.
He has long warned that he believes Donald Trump is a threat to democracy, but he has also expressed concern about the president’s health.
Manchin has long oscillated between being a thorn in Biden’s side and an ally. He helped Democrats pass some of their most significant legislation under Biden over the past three years, while also extracting key demands that stripped away some components that had been top priorities for progressives.
Sen. Joe Manchin came out and said Sunday morning that he thought it was time for Biden to “pass the torch” just hours before Biden announced he was dropping out of the race.
President Biden announced Sunday afternoon that he was endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee.
Entering the Democratic presidential race and challenging the Biden-endorsed candidate would be another needle in President Biden’s side for the moderate from West Virginia.
When Manchin left the Democratic Party less than two months ago, he said he was making a decision to “stay true to myself and remain committed to putting country before party.”
Despite the change in party registration, Manchin has continued to engage with Democrats on Capitol Hill.
Last fall, Manchin announced he would not seek reelection as West Virginia’s senator in an increasingly red state. The Senate seat is expected to flip to Republicans this fall when Republican Gov. Jim Justice is running for the Senate in West Virginia.
Other Democrats who have been seen as potential replacements for the Democratic presidential nominee, including Gov. Josh Shapiro, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Gov. Roy Cooper, have endorsed Harris at the top of the ticket.
