Joe Manchin becomes latest senator to call for Biden to quit 2024 race

Senator Joe Manchin has become the third member of the Democratic caucus in the upper chamber to call on Joe Biden to step aside.

No longer officially a Democrat himself, Manchin is retiring at the end of this year rather than seek re-election. His seat in deep-red West Virginia is thought to be a likely pickup for Republicans, led by their nominee Jim Justice.

Despite leaving the party he was a member of for decades, Manchin continued to caucus with the Senate Democrats after registering as an independent this past May.

“I came to the decision with a heavy heart that it’s time to pass the torch to a new generation,” said the West Virginia senator.

Sen. Joe Manchin III (I-W. Va.):

«I think it's time to pass the torch to a new generation.» pic.twitter.com/fHkQOTZzkU

He would go on to subtly hint that he did not think Vice President Kamala Harris should be the party’s pick either, explaining that he was “partial” to the idea of his party selecting a state governor instead.

“I’m very hopeful it would be done in an open process,” he continued. “I think we have a lot of talent on the bench. A lot of good people. And I’m partial to governors, because governors can’t affort to be [partisan].”

Asked on ABC by Martha Raddatz whether Harris could beat Trump in November at the top of the ticket, Manchin replied: “The process will show that.”

His statement follows two other Democrats in the Senate, Martin Heinrich and Peter Welch, calling for the incumbent president to step aside and let another Democrat run in the wake of a shocking debate performance in June. The senator made his comments in two inteviews on ABC’s This Week and CNN’s State of the Union.

Manchin joins dozens of other elected Democrats, counting both senators and