U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, a maverick Democrat who has often bucked party leadership, told a radio station in his home state of West Virginia on Thursday that he is “thinking seriously” about leaving the party.
“I’m not a Washington Democrat,” Manchin said in the interview on Talkline with Hoppy Kercheval, a West Virginia Metro News show. “I’ve been thinking seriously about that (becoming an independent) for quite some time.”
Manchin and Democratic-turned-independent colleague Senator Kyrsten Sinema have been thorns in top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer’s side since the party won its majority in 2020. Democrats hold a 51-49 majority, including three independents who caucus with them.
Last month Manchin further stirred Democratic concerns with an appearance in the early-voting state of New Hampshire with the “No Labels” group, where he mulled starting a third-party presidential campaign in 2024, challenging Democratic President Joe Biden. Having a third-party candidate would “threaten” the two major political parties, Manchin said.
Manchin has used his influence to block legislation that he opposes - including expanding voting rights protections and child tax credits - and to ensure passage of bills he supports, such as a major tax and climate law that passed last summer.
He faces a tough re-election bid next year in Republican-leaning West Virginia, which former President Donald Trump won by almost 39 percentage points in 2020. Manchin has not yet said if he will seek re-election, but he would face an even steeper road if he spurned his party and the fundraising support it can provide.
West Virginia Governor Jim Justice, a former Democrat-turned Republican, began his campaign in April for the Republican nomination to seek Manchin’s seat.
Manchin, a popular former governor who was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010, has kept his seat in part by maintaining a reputation as a rare conservative Democrat in Washington.
You can keep saying that but no they couldn’t. They held a slim super majority for only 72 working days and that required independents caucusing with them. Lieberman was not on board with those changes and the democrats cut the deal they could with the votes they had. That deal saves fucking lives. Diabetics can get insurance without being tied to a job now. Its expensive now. It was literally impossible to get then. So fuck off with your anti democratic party bullshit and if you think it’s so easy to get these votes to enact this change to get a bunch of progressives elected. Because all you are doing is disuading voters from voting for the only party that has done a fucking thing for the poor and working class. That only helps conservatives who are trying to kill us. You won’t bring about revolution by shit talking the democrats on the Internet and convincing people to not vote. Stop actively harming people with your rhetoric and try actually organizing for a fucking change.