Joe Manchin 'Highly Likely' To Run To Fill Robert Byrd's Senate Seat (VIDEO)

Joe Manchin 'Highly Likely' To Run To Fill Robert Byrd's Senate Seat (VIDEO)

West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin says he is "highly likely" to run for Senate to fill the seat held by the late Sen. Robert Byrd for fifty-one years until he passed away last month.

When Manchin was asked about his senatorial ambitions on Friday's edition of "The Daily Rundown" on MSNBC, the West Virginia Democrat suggested it is probable he will make a bid for the vacant post. "It's highly likely I will be," he said. "I want to serve my state in the highest possible position I can. I look forward to having the opportunity to serve."

The remarks come just one day after West Virginia's attorney general gave Manchin the go-ahead to put the state's open Senate seat on the November ballot.

Manchin signaled at a press conference Friday that he will announce whether he will pursue a Senate run next week. "I want to make sure there's an orderly flow," he said at the National Governor's Association conference.

Last month, West Virginia's Lincoln Journal reported that Manchin's Senatorial ambitions to succeed Byrd were "no secret" in light of the longtime incumbent's fragile condition; however, at the time it appeared the Democratic Governor would wait until 2012 to run and make an interim appointment until that point.

WATCH: Manchin Discuss His Senatorial Ambitions

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