The 2024 presidential election is bound to be historic in a number of different ways. For now, though, we only know a few of the key players.

Former President Donald Trump has officially confirmed a run, as has former UN ambassador Nikki Haley and several other Republican nominee hopefuls. But the Democrat slate is still pretty empty.

One big name might change the entire situation, though — and he could prove to be President Biden’s primary competition.

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin (D) has been a controversial figure in Washington for some time now. Being more of a moderate or a centrist, he tends to have allies and enemies on both sides.

For example, he has frequently pushed back against the Biden administration in recent years, which has occasionally made him a Republican ally.

On top of that, he reportedly considered abandoning the Democrat Party and going Independent, and that consideration is still on the table. As for a possible presidential, run, though…

Via The Daily Wire:

West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin did everything short of declaring a 2024 presidential run.

Appearing on several Sunday talk shows, Manchin was repeatedly pressed on whether he planned to announce his candidacy. Manchin refused to answer when asked point blank but gave strong hints that he is considering entering the race.

Manchin first told CNN’s Dana Bash that he’s “worn out” and that “people are sick and tired of the fighting and division.”

He then cited Abraham Lincoln’s famous line; “divided, we cannot stand.” Manchin added that right now, there’s a movement in America that wants to “bring the extremes back to the sensible, reasonable middle.”

Bash then asked if Manchin planned to run for President in 2024.

The Senator evaded the question and repeated his message about people getting frustrated with extremes:

Democrat Senator Joe Manchin repeatedly dodges on if he's considering a run for president in 2024: "There's a movement going on" pic.twitter.com/0sOuOlkbxW

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 2, 2023

Then on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” host Chuck Todd told Manchin that he sounded “like a presidential candidate.”

Again, though, Manchin refused to say yes or no in response to 2024:

I’m going to do whatever I can to have a voice in that middle, that we can basically force both sides to say, ‘Wait a minute, you’ve gone to extremes. You’ve got to start coming back. You’ve got to find ways to solve problems.’

You can’t solve them from the extreme right and the extreme left. You can’t make people, make a — pick a side.

The Senator concluded by saying he’s “not ready to do anything this year,” and that he won’t make any decisions before his filing date of January 15, 2024.

If Manchin does wind up running, he could very well represent Biden’s stiffest competition.

Biden has said he plans to run again, though his approval rating has declined recently and many polls show that a majority of Democrat voters would rather have another candidate in 2024.

Possibilities have included California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom but otherwise, there haven’t been a lot of big-name nominees floating around.

Joe Manchin would absolutely qualify as a big-name candidate, though — and that would really shake things up for the big election next year.

Key Takeaways:

• Sen. Joe Manchin refused to say if he plans to run for President in 2024.
• He also didn’t deny the possibility, though, and his messaging makes it sound like he could be Biden’s primary competition.
• Currently, the list of potential Democrat nominees for 2024 is very thin.

Source: The Daily Wire