Joe Manchin isn’t a candidate 5 months before the election. But he still has time to change his mind

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Every election cycle, it seems, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia tries to find the best fit for himself, dragging both sides of the political aisle — and an entire home-state electorate — along for a wobbly ride. But in February, Manchin announced he would not run for president, saying he didn’t want to be a “spoiler.” Manchin had been in the Senate since 2010, when he won a special election following the death of Robert C. Byrd during Manchin’s second term as governor. When he registered as an independent, Manchin met a deadline — barely — in West Virginia for candidates to file their political affiliation 60 days prior to an Aug. 1 deadline to run in this year’s election. Along with reversing course on that statement, Manchin would again have to grapple with the sustained popularity in West Virginia of Trump, whose name will adorn the top of West Virginia’s ballot. THIRD TIME A SENATOR Without Manchin in the Senate race, Republicans are oozing with confidence that Justice can pick up his West Virginia seat.