Manchin calls on Biden to end reelection campaign ‘with a heavy heart’

Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) urged President Joe Biden to end his reelection campaign, citing growing Democratic concerns about Biden’s electability following last month’s debate.

Manchin, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, emphasized the urgency of the situation during separate interviews on Sunday morning talk shows, saying he was making such calls “with a heavy heart,” according to his comments to ABC’s This Week.

“The first week after the debate, I thought the president needed time to evaluate and make a decision if he was going to at that time, and then I thought, well, we’d hear from my colleagues who are in very difficult, challenging areas of the country, whether it be in Congress, as far as their districts, or in the states, as far as my senators, and they’re speaking out now. And then when you see the donor class, basically, speaking up and saying that they went a different direction, if you will,” he said.

Manchin similarly told CNN’s State of The Union that “it’s time to pass the torch to a new generation,” without specifying who the Democrats’ choice would be should Biden choose to bow out of the 2024 presidential race.

This is a developing story and will be updated.