Manchin still sees a path for third-party presidential challenger, but it won't be him

Detroit — U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia reiterated his disinterest in mounting an independent campaign for the White House on Monday, but said he still thinks a third-party candidate could be viable this fall.

Manchin, a centrist Democrat, said the concept of a No Labels-branded bipartisan ticket is "absolutely not" dead, even though he has taken himself out of consideration to be on the ballot.

"I believe in what they're doing. ... Can they muster up? I think they're working very, very diligently toward that," Manchin told The Detroit News after speaking at a Detroit Economic Club meeting. "... We're going around promoting Americans together, which is showing you how to get the moderate middle to have the voice to maybe rise up and somebody (like) No Labels puts a candidate that's in the center, center-left, center-right, try to bring the whole country together."

Manchin, 76, has been on a tour of Midwest cities in recent months for what's been billed as a "listening tour" but had the scent of a campaign to test the presidential waters.

However, earlier this month, Manchin took his name out of contention for the No Labels movement's potential nomination of a candidate to take on Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican former President Donald Trump, the likely nominees for the two major parties.

"I'm going to go out and try to recruit the next president, the next congressperson, the next senator sitting back there," Manchin said, pointing to Detroit Economic Club members gathered for lunch at the historic Masonic Temple.

Leaders in the No Labels movement, who also recently spoke to Detroit Economic Club members, have said they're waiting for the 14-state "Super Tuesday" primaries on March 5 before deciding whether to nominate a bipartisan ticket to get on the ballot in all 50 states. An independent presidential candidate would have to win a minimum of 37.5% of the vote to win Michigan's 15 electoral votes.

Manchin is retiring from the U.S. Senate at year's end after serving 14 years as a senator. He was first elected in a 2010 special election to fill the seat long held by the late Robert Byrd. Manchin was previously the governor of West Virginia, a secretary of state, a state senator and House member in a political career dating back to 1982.

During the talk, Manchin pushed his longstanding agenda of term limits for members of Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Manchin wants to see a constitutional amendment limiting U.S. senators to two, six-year terms, House members to six, two-year terms, Supreme Court justices to one, 18-year term and curtailing the president to one, six-year term. The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, limited the presidency to two, four-year terms after Franklin Roosevelt was elected to four terms.

"People say, 'Well, we're going to get rid of the good people.' They can run for another office," Manchin said. "They just can't stay in the same place they are until they think they own. The government was never intended to be this."

Manchin referenced his often renegade stances to the right of his progressive Democratic colleagues. One economic club member asked Manchin why he didn't run for president.

"First of all, the Democratic Party isn't going to accept me and neither is the Republican Party," Manchin said. "Neither one of them is crazy about me because they can't control me."

"I'm not here for the sake of any party," the senator added. "I'm here for the United States of America."

clivengood@detroitnews.com