CHARLESTON — Rumors have been circulating in Charleston that current U.S. Senator Joe Manchin might be considering a return to his former position as West Virginia’s Governor.
If Manchin were to pursue this, he would need to either convince the current Democratic nominee, Steve Williams, to step aside or run as an independent.
In an exclusive interview with the Charleston Gazette, Joe Manchin denied these rumors, stating,
“My support is with Steve Williams. He has been a friend of mine for four 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. I don’t know how this came about, you follow me?”
When asked about his future interests, Manchin responded,
“I think no, my future is gonna be trying. I’ve been in the political process for over 40 years, since ’82, so for 42 years. My future lies in how do we bring the country together again. I’ve been in Washington for 14 years, and I’ve done everything I possibly can to bring it together, and I can see it getting further and further apart.”
Some West Virginia Democrats have lost faith in Steve Williams, doubting his ability to defeat the Republican nominee and current Attorney General Morrisey.
State officials note that Manchin only has a few days to make a decision regarding his future, contradicting reports that he would need to take Williams’ place as the Democratic nominee, who is the mayor of West Virginia’s second-largest city.