Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) is expected to formally announce Friday that he will not run for president on a third-party ticket. In remarks made at West Virginia University, the West Virginia Democrat has ruled out such a run.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is set to announce Friday that he will not run for president, ending long-running speculation that he would mount a third-party bid.

“I will not be seeking a third-party run. I will not be involved in a presidential run,” Manchin said in remarks at West Virginia University. 

“I will be involved in making sure that we secure a president that has the knowledge and has the passion and has the ability to bring this country together,” he said.  

The West Virginia senator, one of the most moderate Democrats in the Senate, already announced that he would not seek another term for his Senate seat, but he had previously not ruled out running for president. 

Senator Manchin has previously speculated about the possibility of a third-party run, either on the "No Labels" ticket or as an unaffiliated "fusion" candidate, including, possibly, with a "moderate" Republican running mate.

See Related: Joe Manchin Says He Will Ask GOP Senator to Be His VP If He Runs for President 

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Running as a third-party candidate, Senator Manchin would likely have drawn votes away from President Biden (or whoever the Democrats' candidate ends up being) and possibly thrown the election to the Republicans.

Manchin has been flirting with the No Labels organization for some time.

Manchin had appeared at events for the organization No Labels, which is overseeing a ballot access initiative for a potential independent bid in November. 

Spokesperson Jon Kott confirmed Manchin’s plans ahead of his Friday remarks. 

There are already several third-party candidates in the 2024 POTUS election, most of whom will be competing primarily with the Democrats:

• Robert F. Kennedy Jr., author and "environmental lawyer," nephew of President John F. Kennedy, a vocal anti-vaccine advocate, running as an Independent
• Jill Stein, environmental activist, running on the Green Party ticket
• Cornel West, once running under the Green Party, now running as an Independent

The history of third-party presidential runs is somewhat less than impressive. Some examples include:

• Former President Theodore Roosevelt ran in 1912 on the "Progressive" ticket and took 88 Electoral College votes.
• Strom Thurmond ran in 1948 on the "States' Rights Democratic (Dixiecrat) ticket, earning 39 Electoral College votes.
• Alabama Governor George Wallace ran in 1968 as an "American Independent" candidate, earning 46 Electoral College votes.
• Most recently, Reform Party candidate Ross Perot ran in the 1992 and 1996 elections. While he earned no Electoral College votes in either attempt, his 1992 run is generally seen as having tipped the election in favor of Democrat Bill Clinton.

As far as parties, the Libertarian Party and the Green Party regularly field candidates. To date, neither party has gained even one Electoral College vote.

Senator Manchin's dropping out of contention probably brings a small sigh of relief to the people running President Biden's re-election effort. Whether on the No Labels ticket or an Independent, Manchin could potentially drawn enough votes from the Democrats to tip the election, although he may well have drawn some moderate Republicans, especially if he had chosen an ostensibly Republican running mate.

It's still a long way to November.