Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) announced on Sunday that he would not run for governor of West Virginia in 2016 and instead would seek re-election to his Senate seat.
"I think we've made some inroads. I think we've changed the whole process to a certain extent in the Senate to where we're going to put our country first and I'm going to continue to fight for that. That's the reason I've made a decision to stay in the United States Senate," Manchin said on "Face the Nation."
"I'm gonna stay and I'll run for re-election. I want to serve the people of West Virginia to the best of my ability," he said. "And I've said this, if my country does well, my state will do well."
Manchin served as governor of West Virginia from 2005 until 2010, when he was voted into the Senate in a special election to fill the seat of former Sen. Robert Byrd (D), who died in office.
Manchin had said that he was "seriously considering" running for governor, but that he would not make a decision until late May. Last week, Politico reported that Manchin had commissioned a poll that showed him with a substantial lead over potential Republican rivals.
Manchin also told Politico that there was "no doubt" that Obama had pushed his state to the right.
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