Joe Manchin skips run for governor

The decision is likely to be a relief to Senate Democrats, who would ultimately struggle to hold on to the West Virginia seat.Joe Manchin will not run for governor of West Virginia in 2020, the Democratic senator announced Tuesday. The decision is likely to be a relief to Democrats, who would struggle to hold on to the seat in the future, and keeps one of the few remaining centrists in the Senate.

The move comes after months o Manchin flirting with a gubernatorial bid against Republican Gov. Jim Justice and complaining about Washington gridlock.

“When considering whether to run for governor, I couldn’t focus just on which job I enjoyed the most, but on where I could be the most effective for the Mountain State,” Manchin said in a statement.

At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Manchin noted his senior positions on the Energy and Appropriations panels: "I get to set policy. I get to make sure that West Virginia is not left out."

Manchin would not have had to give up his Senate seat to run and would have appointed his replacement if elected governor. Democrats, however, would have had difficulty keeping the seat when it would have been up for grabs in 2022.

Manchin faced a real challenge for his Senate reelection bid in 2018, beating GOP Attorney General Patrick Morrisey by 3 percentage points