Sen. Joe Manchin’s search for the political middle is taking him to an early presidential primary state next month.
Manchin is set to appear Jan. 12 at a “Politics & Eggs” event hosted by the New England Council and New Hampshire Institute of Politics.
The event links Manchin’s appearance to “Americans Together,” described as “a new organization that is creating a platform for the middle to connect and empower moderate voices around the country.”
Manchin and his daughter Heather have been pitching wealthy political donors on supporting a centrist political group with a goal of raising $100 million.
“Their goal is to build a bridge between popular will and political outcomes,” wrote the organizers of the Politics & Eggs event.
In remarks this month at a Wall Street Journal CEO Council Summit, Manchin described launching a two-month tour to determine whether there is national support for a third-party ticket.
“I start in January, I’ll be two months on the road. And all we’re trying to do is just mobilize people like myself who feel like they’re homeless, politically homeless,” Manchin said at that event.
He added, “I don’t recognize the Democratic Party, and I have a D by my name. I have a lot of Republicans that don’t recognize Republican Party that have Rs by their name.” And he said, “I don’t know if there’s a movement; I really don’t.”
Manchin announced last month that he will not run again for U.S. Senate, saying he will explore ways to unite the political middle.
Manchin’s name has been mentioned consistently in speculation about a third-party run for president, and he has openly dallied with the possibility of becoming an independent.
Manchin also has been linked with No Labels, an independent political organization trying to gain ballot access across the country to put up a “unity ticket” as an alternative to the possibility of a Biden-Trump rematch.
Manchin has expressed frustration about increasing polarization in American politics. In the Senate, where 51 members caucus with Democrats and 49 with Republicans, Manchin’s independent-minded votes have often been both key to passing bills and a source of frustration to his colleagues.
He found a like-minded mini-tribe in a small group of center-aligned senators, including Mitt Romney, the Republican former presidential candidate who is retiring. On policy, he sometimes wound up paired with Arizona’s Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a former Democrat who is charting a challenging re-election path after becoming an independent.
Manchin has not said if he will be on a national ticket.
“There might be a movement, there might not. That depends. I really don’t know,” he said at the Wall Street Journal event. “I won’t be a spoiler. I’ve never been a spoiler for anything. If I get into something, I get in to win.”
