West Virginia’s Manchin considers reregistering as Democrat to seek presidential nomination

By AP 22 July 2024, 2:37 am

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Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia chairs a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on the health of the electrical power grid, at the Capitol in Washington, June 1, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Though some potential challengers to Kamala Harris for the Democratic bid have already made it clear they would not run, there is some early indication that she might not be alone in seeking the nomination.

West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, who left the party earlier this year to become an independent, is considering reregistering as a Democrat to vie for the nomination against the vice president, according to Jonathan Kott, a longtime adviser to Manchin.

Manchin, who repeatedly irked Democrats with his independent streak but was also a lynchpin for the Biden administration’s biggest legislative accomplishments, was the latest senator to call on Biden to drop his candidacy before the president made his announcement Sunday.