Manchin, 'Not Here Campaigning', Sparks Conversation in 2024 in New Hampshire

During an eyebrow-raising visit to New Hampshire on Friday, Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia checked the names of friends who have been elected officials in the Granite State and complimented the critical nature of his constituents.

He paid tribute to the state's primary tradition and denounced President Biden's decision to undermine New Hampshire's power in this year's Democratic contest.

And as he pressed his own ambitions, the conservative Democratic senator delivered a message that would-be candidates have often deployed as they flirt with this traditionally influential, fast-voting state: He refused to rule anything out.

“How would you feel if a bunch of Democrats in New Hampshire wrote 'Joe' – not Biden – but 'Joe Manchin'?” one attendee asked as Mr. Manchin kicked off a “listening tour” of Politics and Eggs, an event series at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics that has long hosted presidential candidates and potential contenders.

“I can't prevent whatever you want to do,” Mr. Manchin responded to applause from the audience in Manchester, N.H., before insisting he was “not campaigning here.”

The question of what Mr. Manchin wants to do has long infuriated and confused his Democratic colleagues in Washington, who have often seen him as a roadblock to their legislative agenda even as he has played a crucial role in ultimately passing key priorities.

Now Mr. Manchin — known for a penchant for the spotlight that stands out even among U.S. senators — is raising new questions about his next steps.

There is speculation about whether he will make a late, long-shot presidential bid this year, and he has attracted interest from No Labels, a centrist group seeking a “unity ticket” to fend off a potential third-party bid party to release. Democratic allies of Mr. Biden are trying to stave off such efforts.

“He really deserves the most serious attention from No Labels because he is part of our movement” if he is interested in a third-party bid, said former Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut, the group's founder and chairman, who said he had done so spoke with Mr. Manchin after the senator announced in November that he would not seek re-election. “He has walked the centrist, bipartisan, problem-solving walk.”

But the senator gave no convincing support to the group's plans when asked Friday about the electoral potential of such a bid.

“It's admirable what they're trying to do to provide an option.” OK, they're working very hard on that, and their best intentions are to bring people together,” he said, noting his longstanding involvement with the group. When he revisited the question of viability, he replied, “I don't know. I mean, you have to – the people decide that. I think by Super Tuesday you'll know what's going on.

Mr. Manchin and his daughter founded an organization called Americans Together, aimed at raising moderate voices. The New Hampshire swing was the first stop on what his team called a listening tour, but he emphasized that his group was “totally different” from No Labels.

During his appearances — at breakfast, in calls with reporters and at a restaurant where he was followed by climate-focused protesters — Mr. Manchin denounced the far right and the far left (though any idea that Mr. Biden falls anywhere near that category) is risky for his many left-wing opponents).

He suggested the country was interested in more options but seemed uncomfortable talking directly about a third-party bid itself.

“I'm looking for: how do you bring the country together, how do we get people involved? And if that's a decision I have to make, I'll live with whatever decision I make,” he said in an interview.

As he extended his happy hand in the restaurant in Derry, where he told a Republican fan he didn't know whether he would run, a reporter asked if he could name one thing that appealed to him about a third-party bid. something that would stop him in his tracks.

The normally well-spoken senator smiled, declared he was there to bring Americans together and walked away.