Senator Joe Manchin III, the conservative West Virginia Democrat, on Friday announced that he would not seek the White House in 2024, ending months of speculation that he might challenge President Biden as an independent candidate.
“I will not be seeking a third-party run,” he said in a speech in Morgantown, W.Va. “I will not be involved in a presidential run.”
Mr. Manchin, 76, had been the subject of months of public and private guesswork about whether he would seek the presidency as the candidate for No Labels, a centrist group aiming to recruit a third option against Mr. Biden and former President Donald J. Trump.
Mr. Manchin’s decision takes off the table the highest-profile candidate the leaders of No Labels had sought to attract. They had told donors and allies in recent months that they planned to name a Republican to lead their ticket, ostensibly taking Mr. Manchin out of contention, but they have so far not found any takers.
