Joe Manchin Dismisses Presidential Candidacy Hours After Reports He Was Exploring a Run: ‘I Don’t Need That In My Life’

Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.VA) announced on Monday that he will not seek the Democratic Party’s nomination for president following Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race over the weekend.

Manchin joined CBS Mornings on Monday and cleared up confusion about his intentions. He said he has no plans to become a candidate but did push for a competitive process to choose a new nominee.

“Let me make it very clear to you, Tony, I am not going to be a candidate for president,” Manchin told Tony Dokoupil . “I am a candidate basically speaking for the middle of this country. There are 51% of the people who are registered to participate in an election in America that basically are in the same party I am: independent.”

Gayle King pressed Manchin further, noting that some believe he is purposefully playing coy about running for president to get “attention.”

“I’m a little confused. On the one hand, you say you’re pursuing the process; on the other hand, you say, no, I’m not a candidate this time,” she said.

“I am not running for office,” the senator said. “I could not believe that there was not going to be a primary process or a mini-process. Other countries do it. I’m not looking for — I don’t need that as far as in my life.”

Manchin’s announcement follows a CNN report citing sources close to the senator who suggested he was considering returning to the Democratic Party to challenge Vice President Kamala Harris for the nomination.

“I’m not going to be a candidate for president,” Manchin said Monday. “I don’t need that in my life.”

In a CNN This Morning interview on Monday, Manchin was more vague about his intentions, repeatedly saying he’s “pursuing the process” and pushing for a competitive process. He did dismiss the possibility of being VP to Harris and said people are “pushing” for him to run. Manchin called for the party to pass the torch to a “new generation.”

Watch above via CBS .