Joe Manchin, West Virginia’s outgoing senator, bristles at the thought of being a spoiler in the 2024 presidential election. While he’s typically shied away from addressing the topic directly, his remarks on a potential presidential bid this week crystallized. Originally seeking the Democratic nomination against Biden, Kennedy opted instead to run as an independent, where polls show now show him siphoning support from Trump. Also running is Cornel West, the academic, activist and far-left candidate who’s polling around 4% to 6%. Enter Manchin, who stands to muddy the waters for the president and former president even more than they already are.

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Persons: Joe Manchin, Donald Trump, Manchin, ‘, ’, ”, “, I’ve, he’s, Joe Biden’s, Trump’s proclivity, Todd Belt, Stephen Ansolabehere, –, Socrates, “ We’ve, Trump, Biden, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Kennedy, Jill Stein, Hillary Clinton, Clinton, Cornel West, centrists, ” Ansolabehere Organizations: Mountain State, Democratic, Trump, “, George Washington University, GOP, Biden, Republicans, Harvard University, don’t, Reuters, Green Party, Cornel, Quinnipiac University, Republican Locations: West, America, Washington, West Virginia, Israel, Virginia, Michigan , Pennsylvania, Wisconsin