Sen. Joe Manchin announces he won't seek reelection in 2024

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Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., speaks at the U.S. Capitol in June. / AP

West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin announced Thursday that he will not run for reelection in 2024. The decision means Democrats face an uphill climb to keep their narrow majority in next year's election

Democrats already faced a tough map in 2024 to keep control of the Senate. They have 23 seats on the ballot and the most contested ones are in red states like Ohio, Montana and West Virginia.

Manchin says he accomplished what he set out to do for his home state. But he added he's not done with politics.

"What I will be doing is traveling the country and speaking out to see if there is an interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle and bring Americans together," Manchin said in a video released on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter.

Manchin has previously suggested he might be open to a third party bid to run for president. Several West Virginia Republicans were already running against Manchin, including Gov. Jim Justice and Rep. Alex Mooney. The head of the Senate GOP's campaign committee Steve Daines released a statement saying "we like our odds in West Virginia."

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