Washington DC – The influential Democratic Senator Joe Manchin announced on Thursday he will not run for re-election next year, ending his 14-year stint in Congress that has surely shaken things up.

"I have made one of the toughest decisions of my life," the 76-year-old centrist politician and internal party opponent of President Joe Biden said in an online video on Thursday. "And decided that I will not be running for re-election to the United States Senate."

"After months of deliberation and long conversations with my family, I believe in my heart of hearts that I've accomplished what I set out to do for West Virginia."

Instead, he plans to travel the country and see "if there is interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle and bring Americans together," the senator continued.

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Earlier this year, there was much chatter that Manchin was planning a run for president in 2024 and becoming an Independent.

The former governor of West Virginia has served in the Senate since 2010.

The politician has close ties to the coal industry has repeatedly made life difficult for President Biden and Democrats in recent years. Given the Democrats' wafer-thin 51-49 majority in the Senate, he was able to virtually single-handedly block some of Biden's legislative proposals, including a planned billion-dollar climate protection and social package.

In doing so, Manchin made many enemies among the Democrats, especially in the left wing of the party. Biden's climate protection package was finally passed in a significantly scaled-down form after long negotiations with Manchin last year. The Inflation Reduction Act provides around $370 billion for energy security and climate protection, making it the largest investment in the fight against global warming in US history.

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It will be a challenge for Democrats to defend Manchin's empty Senate seat in the largely conservative state during elections next year. If Republicans win the Senate seat in November 2024, Congress would be closer to a majority in the congressional chamber.

Despite their tense history, Biden in a statement hailed the "real progress" Manchin achieved in his career as the two men "worked together to get things done for hardworking families."

As speculation swirls over whether Manchin's future could include a third-party shot at the presidency, the 76-year-old said, "public service has and continues to drive me every day."

"We need to take back America and not let this divisive hatred further pull us apart," he said.