Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) has reportedly suggested the prospect of Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) making a late entry into his state's Senate race, which would represent a reversal of the moderate Democrat's plans.
Manchin confirmed to CNN in a report published Thursday that he has discussed such a possibility with Schumer, but he added that it was "a long, long, long-shot scenario" that he does not anticipate happening and that "Chuck and I have conversations about everything."
Still, Manchin did not completely rule out the possibility, telling the outlet, "I don’t know if anything in Washington, D.C., is 100 percent."
The scenario that would most likely portend an independent run from Manchin—which Schumer has also floated when speaking to donors—is if Don Blankenship were to win the Democratic primary, per CNN. Blankenship is a businessman who was found guilty in 2015 of conspiring to violate federal safety standards at a coal mine that suffered a 2010 explosion that killed 29 people. He spent a year in federal prison. Blankenship ran an ill-fated campaign against Manchin in 2018 as a Republican, and his quest for the Democratic nomination this year has upset state party leadership.
"I understand the scenario," Manchin said to CNN of a race between Blankenship and GOP frontrunner Gov. Jim Justice. "I want my state to be represented properly for someone who has a passion for our state. So we just have to see what unfolds. Really—after the primary … it’ll tell you a lot more."
Manchin has until the Aug. 1 filing deadline to make a final decision.
Manchin announced in November that he would not run for reelection to the Senate this fall, leading to speculation that he would mount a third-party run for president with centrist group No Labels. He quashed that possibility last month, however, revealing that he will not run for the White House but rather work on a group called Americans Together to advocate for moderate politics.