WELL, YES: Manchin is ‘dead man walking’ in West Virginia.

Former Obama White House senior political adviser David Axelrod says Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is “dead man walking” in West Virginia, where the senior senator finds himself far behind in the polls ahead of the 2024 election.

Axelrod on Monday said the dim outlook of Manchin’s reelection bid may lead him to instead run for president as a third-party candidate, which the senior Democratic strategist called “a graceful exit for him.”

“I don’t want to be unkind to Sen. Manchin, but he’s kind of dead man walking in West Virginia. There’s nowhere for him to go,” Axelrod said on CNN, referring to a new poll showing the three-term senator trailing West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) by 22 points.

“Slow-motion political suicide” might be more apt than “dead man walking.”