Joe Manchin says he will not run for West Virginia governor amid campaign rumors

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin on Wednesday said he will not be running for West Virginia governor later this year, shooting down the latest theory behind what he will do after he leaves the Senate at the end of the year.

Manchin announced he was not seeking reelection last November, but was considered a frontrunner for a third party presidential bid or for governor. The senator was previously governor from 2005-2010, before he joined the Senate, but if he ran for governor again in 2024 then he would need to do so as an independent, because the primaries have passed. 

The centrist Democrat rejected the rumors in a comment to reporters at an event at the University of Charleston, and said he was supporting Steve Williams for governor, who won the Democratic primary.

“My support is with Steve Williams,” Manchin said, according to The Hill. “He’s been a friend of mine for 40 years, and we’ve worked together. I know how good he is, I know how competent he is, and I know how hard he’ll work. So, I’ve been supporting Steve."

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is the Republican nominee for governor, after he narrowly defeated the son of Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., for the nomination. Current GOP Gov. Jim Justice is running for Manchin's Senate seat, but Manchin has endorsed Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott for the seat. Elliott won the nomination during the May 14 primary.

Manchin said he does not know how the rumors that he was eyeing a return to the governorship started, but said he was flattered that people are still interested in him. However, he wants to help politicians and state leaders rather than be one.

"It’s humbling, and I’m very proud to have people that think that my public service was truly about public service. That’s all I’m about, and I want my state to succeed," Manchin said. “I want to help anybody I can in the position they might be in, whether it’s a governor, or whether it’s a U.S. senator, or congresspeople. I want to be able to help them do the best they can to represent our state."