Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced Friday that he would not enter the 2024 presidential race as an independent or third-party candidate, ending a year of speculation about his political future.

Manchin, who was considering a bid with the centrist group No Labels, made the announcement while delivering a speech from Morgantown, West Virginia, with his Americans Together organization.

“I will not be seeking a third party run, I will not be involved in a presidential run,” Manchin said Friday. “I will be involved in making sure that we secure a president who has the knowledge and has the passion and has the ability to bring this country together.”

“I just don’t think it’s the right time,” he added.

Rather than seek reelection to his coveted seat, the West Virginia Democrat announced in November 2023 that he plans to travel the country in hopes of being a unifier. The decision sparked speculation about his presidential ambitions and whether he could challenge President Joe Biden’s 2024 reelection bid.

Manchin has also fiercely defended plans from No Labels to create a third-party presidential ticket amid sustained speculation that he could be their nominee.

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a centrist Republican, said at the time of Manchin’s retirement announcement that No Labels would reach a decision to run someone in the 2024 contest around Super Tuesday, which is March 5. Hogan himself ended presidential speculation this month by launching a run for an open Maryland U.S. Senate seat.

For its part, No Labels praised Manchin at the time as a “tireless voice for America’s commonsense majority” in reaction to his announcement.

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Manchin has been associated with No Labels for over a decade. Those ties are not as easily documented because the group operates as a nonprofit organization rather than a standard political party, allowing it not to disclose its donor network.

Still, No Labels is working on getting on the ballot in a dozen states. Democrats have largely slammed the effort, arguing a bipartisan ticket likely would hand the 2024 race to former President Donald Trump. Manchin and No Labels have separately said they would not take any actions that return Trump to the White House.