After months of speculation, Sen. Joe Manchin will not run for president in 2024

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Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., leaves the Senate chamber after a live quorum call at the U.S. Capitol this week. / Getty Images

West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin announced Friday that he will not run for president in the 2024 election.

"I will not be seeking a third-party run. I will not be involved in a presidential run," Manchin said at an event with his political organization, Americans Together, at West Virginia University.

"I will be involved in making sure that we secure a president who has the knowledge and has the passion and has the ability to bring this country together. And right now, we're challenged. We've got to see if we can get people in that direction."

In his remarks, Manchin did not make an endorsement — but he has been a vocal opponent of former President Trump.

Manchin, 76, has been weighing a potential presidential run as an independent candidate since announcing he would not seek reelection in the Senate last fall. He launched a listening tour at the beginning of the year, further fueling speculation, and had appeared with the group No Labels, which is exploring a third-party "unity" ticket.

"The Democratic Party is not the Democratic Party that I was born into and that I believed in all my life," added Manchin on Friday.

The day before his announcement, Manchin alluded to his plans not to seek a presidential bid during two events in Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio.

"My purpose of coming around and being here is not to propose or propel me running for any office," Manchin told Karen Kasler of The Statehouse News Bureau. "I said I'm not running for reelection for the U.S. Senate, and I'm not out here running on any party for any other office," he added.

When pressed who he'd endorse, Manchin said he would not support Trump but hasn't decided on Biden.

The longtime centrist West Virginia Democrat has played a decisive role in the Senate, often serving as a crucial but, at times, uncertain vote for Democrats on significant legislation.

Democrats are unlikely to hold Manchin's open Senate seat this year, jeopardizing their already slim majority in the chamber.