Don't ruin your reputation, Wes Moore urges Joe Manchin

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Sunday urged Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) not to tarnish himself by running as a third-party presidential candidate in 2024.

Speaking on ABC's "This Week," Moore said Manchin "has had a career of distinguished service" but added: "I would urge him not to mar his legacy by getting involved in something so foolish."

Manchin announced last week that he would not seek another term in the Senate and suggested he might launch a presidential bid instead, declaring he will be "traveling the country and speaking out to see if there is an interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle." President Joe Biden's team had urged Manchin to run for the Senate again in one of the nation's reddest states.

Moore, a Democrat, also said the group No Labels, which has been looking for a centrist candidate like Manchin to potentially run next year, is not the answer for disillusioned voters.

"If you look at what No Labels is, No Labels literally has no plan, has no path, has no policy platform," Moore told host Jonathan Karl. "They don't even have a candidate."

Moore also said that regardless of which possible third-party candidates (Manchin, Cornel West, Jill Stein, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.) ultimately decide to run, he's convinced Biden will be able to persuade America's voters to reelect him based on what he has accomplished as president.

"It's one thing to say we're going to rail against the system, and it's another thing to actually work to make systems better. That's what I think President Biden has continued to show," Moore said, adding that Biden has achieved "real, productive results for the people of this country."

Moore's predecessor as governor of Maryland, Larry Hogan, is national co-chair of No Labels.

Speaking Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union," Hogan commended Manchin for his work with No Labels, but said he wasn't sure if Manchin would ultimately run for president.

"One thing Joe Manchin is pretty good at is staying in the center of attention," Hogan, a Republican, said, "and he definitely wants to continue, like I do, continue to be a part of the discussion. But I'm not sure whether all this hype this week is going to turn into a presidential campaign."