As political pundits continue to ponder whether or not President Joe Biden will face additional competitors in the 2024 Democratic Party Presidential Primary, another Joe is getting national attention due to recent news regarding a political organization known as “No Labels.”
Manchin gained national attention when he defied his party to oppose Biden’s “Build back better act”, as well as Biden’s nominee for Secretary of Labor and Biden’s clean energy environmental plan, citing the potential devastating impact it could have on West Virginia’s coal mining industry. Ultimately, in exchange for his support of the clean energy plan, Manchin was able persuade Biden to secure the completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Throughout the past year, his name has been floated as a potential party-switcher or a third party candidate for either the U.S. Senate or the Presidency.
With the help of NoLabels.org, a self-described non-partisan organization devoted to centrism and bipartisanship, Manchin has continued to raise his national profile as a frequent guest on talk shows such as NBC’s Meet the Press and other national news outlets. According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, Manchin has been a repeat guest on No Labels’ weekly calls with its donors. No Labels says it was emboldened by a December survey it commissioned showing that 59% of voters would be open to supporting a moderate independent candidate.
If Manchin opts to run for re-election to his senate seat, he would likely face current West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican, in the general election. During an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press, Manchin vowed to wait until the end of 2023 to make a decision on whether or not he will run of the presidency.
Since 2004, O’Hern has worked with political campaigns in roles ranging from major projects involving nationwide digital marketing for U.S. Presidential candidates, U.S. Congressmen, state governors, and state representatives. O’Hern’s journalism background includes news reporting and editing for various organizations and news publications in Alabama and Florida since 2002. O’Hern graduated from Samford University in Birmingham, Ala with a degree in journalism and a minor in political science.