Manchin says he will not run for president, ending speculation about an independent bid.

Senator Joe Manchin III, the conservative Democrat from West Virginia, announced Friday that he would not run for the White House in 2024, ending months of speculation that he could challenge President Biden as an independent candidate.

“I will not seek a third-party run,” he said in a speech in Morgantown, W.Va. “I will not be involved in a presidential run.”

Since the 76-year-old Manchin announced in November that he would not run for re-election, he had been the subject of months of public and private guesswork about whether he would pursue the presidency. In particular, he had flirted with becoming a candidate for No Labels, a centrist group seeking to recruit a third option against Mr. Biden and former President Donald J. Trump.

But on Friday he promised: “I will not be a deal breaker or a spoiler.”

Mr. Manchin's decision removes the most prominent candidate that No Labels' leaders had tried to attract. They had told donors and allies in recent months that they planned to appoint a Republican to take charge, ostensibly removing Mr. Manchin from contention, but so far they have not identified any candidates.

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a moderate Republican, left No Labels' board in January. After endorsing former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for president, he announced his own campaign for Senate in Maryland last week.

Since Mr. Manchin said he would not run again, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, has implored him to formally leave the Democratic Party and run as an independent, according to two people familiar with the matter. with their conversations.

West Virginia's deadline to file for Senate primaries was in January, but… independent candidates have until August 1 to stand as a candidate.

Without Mr. Manchin, Democrats have written off the opportunity to hold the seat in deep-red West Virginia. They face an uphill battle to retain control of the Senate, with several incumbents defending seats in states won by Mr Trump.

Mr. Manchin is known in the Senate for cutting bipartisan deals and frustrating some of his party's most ambitious policy goals.

Speaking at West Virginia University on Friday, Mr. Manchin denounced the state of Congress, which he described as the most dysfunctional body he had ever seen.

“This will be the least productive and most destructive Congress we have ever had in the history of the United States,” he said.

Carl Hulse reporting contributed.