Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said Thursday he is “thinking seriously” about dropping his affiliation with the Democratic Party and becoming an independent.
Why it matters: Manchin has made a career out of proclaiming his independence from D.C. Democrats. But his latest comments have added significance, given his public flirtation with a possible third party presidential bid in 2024.
What he’s saying: “I’m thinking seriously,” Manchin told West Virginia radio host Hoppy Kercheval, adding, “I have to have peace of mind, basically. The brand has become so bad. The D brand and R brand … You’ve heard me say a million times, I am not a Washington Democrat.”
- Pressed on how seriously he is approaching the idea, Manchin said he has “been thinking about that for quite some time” and wants to “make sure that my voice is truly an independent voice.”
- Manchin said he hasn’t “made any decisions,” telling Kercheval, “When I get ready to make a decision, I’ll come see you.”
The backdrop: Manchin has been dropping hints for months that he may follow the lead of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), who announced her switch to independent in December but still caucuses with Democrats.
- Asked about becoming an independent later that month during a CBS News interview, Manchin said, “I’ll let you know later what I decide to do, but right now I have no intention of changing anything.”
- There were rumors as far back as 2021 that Manchin may bolt the party – though he dismissed them then as “bull****.”
What we’re watching: Manchin faces an uphill reelection battle in a state that voted for former President Trump by nearly 40 percentage points in 2020. The frontrunner in the GOP primary for his seat is popular Gov. Jim Justice.
- Manchin has spent the last year distancing himself from President Biden and fellow Democrats, repudiating parts of the Inflation Reduction Act and even threatening to oppose Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency nominees.
- He may also decide to go another way. He headlined a New Hampshire town hall last month hosted by No Labels, a centrist group that is laying the groundwork for a potential third party presidential ticket.
I mean… he isn’t a Democrat, so…
DINO.
He is though? Conservative Democrats are a thing.
What other Democrat is as far right as Manchin?
Of course, you can’t say Sinema anymore because she left the party. 
Henry Cuellar. Of course, Coathanger Cuellar is in the House, but we won’t know who the Senate’s next Manchin is until the next time progressive legislation is in danger of passing.
Just because no positive number is as close to a negative number as 1 doesn’t make 1 a negative number. https://apnews.com/article/ap-fact-check-voting-rights-government-and-politics-c65d4424c200ede56fc31db42e28e084
Why does it matter if they don’t vote with Republicans more? What matters is they vote with them when it really counts. Or worse, just hold things up by threatening to until they get their way. Manchin especially has done this multiple times.
Idk. To me I’d rather have Manchin, a registered dem in West Virginia than any Republican that would win there over him. IMO a progressive can’t win in West Virginia. The fact we have any dem there is fantastic, even if that dem is a terrible dem.
Biden is a Conservative Democrat. Manchin is way past that line.
Do you consider anything right of Socialist right wing? Because that’s what it sounds like.
Are you suggesting Biden isn’t a conservative Democrat? Because his record, especially when it comes to crime, says otherwise.
Yes, I am saying Biden isn’t Conservative. The notion that he is Conservative is ridiculous. Biden is a typical centrist to center left Democrat.
There’s a difference between a conservative and a conservative Democrat.
I mean, kind of, Conservative Democrats are usually moderate Conservatives, but Biden is still farther left than that, look at his environmental programs, the Inflation Reduction Act, and Amtrak funding.
Biden and Clinton are center-right democrats. Buttigieg is center-right to center. Bloomberg is a right wing democrat. Warren and Sanders are center left to left. Tulsi Gabbard is not on the chart. Manchin and Sinema are not on the chart.
They should pull his funding and his assignments and send them where they can do more good. The republicans shot themselves in the foot by overplaying the culture war thing. They lost on abortion in almost every race. Shit, they lost on an off year special ballot initiative in freaking Ohio just because it would pertain to abortion in a future election - it wasn’t even mentioned on the ballot, even though they tried to deny it was about preventing a popular vote on keeping abortion legal. Everyone just knows by now that they’re lying about that kind of thing, because they just can’t back away from the issue.
On an American scale, Joe Biden is not right wing. He is center left. He is socially left wing, supporting lgbtq+ rights, and abortion. He is also economically left wing, supporting unions and green energy.
A Conservative Democrat isn’t a term for a centrist Democrat, it’s a term for Conservatives registered/running as a Democrat. They are most Drmocrats in ancestrally Drmocratic states like WV and Kentucky.
Your observations are correct about what he supports, your characterization of the American political spectrum is not.
All democrats support lgbt rights. That’s like saying a republican is center right because they voted for a tax cut. It’s the default position in the party. The same with abortion. In fact, Biden has even said that as a Catholic he’s personally against abortion, but he’s for a woman’s right to choose. That’s the right wing position on the democratic side. Even on the lgbt front, he’s been extremely uninvolved. He’s done okay, but nothing remarkable, especially in the face of the injustices our community is facing. The same with unions and green energy.
And you know why it’s not only not center-left by the standards of the democratic party, it’s also in keeping with the majority of American citizens. LGBT rights and abortion rights are supported by the vast majority of Americans. It’s the republican party that has moved to the far right and invented wedge social issues, like lgbt rights as a political football. I’ve been active in the lgbt rights movement for more than thirty years, and this is socially as bad as it has been since the 90s. We’re heading back towards Anita Bryant.
That might be the default republican politician’s position, but that does not define the political spectrum within the democratic party nor does it define the political spectrum of America.
Progressives were right about him. Any centrist Democrat who spent any time at all pretending his shit didn’t stink: don’t you dare start speaking ill about him now. He’s exactly the same piece of shit you knowingly defended for years because he was killing progressive legislation for you.
Face, meet leopard. Leopard, face.
The last presidential election WV voted blue in was in 1996.
I’m pretty certain he’s the only remaining Democrat in statewide office there. The state has been moving really far Republican in recent years. Trump got over 68% of the vote.
The other senator, a Republican, got 62% of the vote in 2014 after Rockefeller retired, and 70% in 2020 against a Sanders-endorsed progressive.
Manchin obviously isn’t progressive, and has never been progressive. I’m not sure that he would have survived until now if he were. Is having an independent Manchin worse than the likely alternative of having a Republican replacement? He votes with the Democrats about 87% of the time, while Capito does only 56%.
I keep hearing the same excuses from people who love how much Manchin has fucked over working people.
I mean, I just don’t see him being replaced with anything better. I think it’s better to worry about the things that could reasonably be changed, and to pick your battles.
I can see e.g. replacing Susan Collins, Krysten Sinema, or Ron Johnson with a real Democrat. Ron Johnson won his race last year by literally 1%. Texas turning into a swing state is a long shot, but is at least plausible. There’s places where Democrats can do better electorally. West Virginia ain’t it.
So we should stop wasting money re-electing Manchin and use the money on races where better candidates are running.
As someone with progressive ideals, fuck Manchin. He’s utterly detestable. Provided he doesn’t stab us in the back though, I will very unhappily advocate for his reelection however. None of the bills thus far could’ve passed with McConnell as majority leader, and if Manchin wasn’t there, that’s what we’d be looking at. The slimeball even authored part of the Inflation Reduction Act, which he’s trying to distance himself from.
So long as he keeps voting Democrat, I’ll reluctantly consider him an asset – an asset that’ll trash talk Democrats, vote against Democrat goals, and vote for shit heel Republican supreme court justices. Even as a Democrat with the most liability, he’s worth it just to keep the Senate. I utterly detest McConnell far more than I dislike Manchin.
Of course all of this goes out the window if he completely betrays us or we find a viable candidate to replace him. Until as we find another Democrat who can win in WV, we’re stuck with him, unfortunately.
Of course all of this goes out the window if he completely betrays us
“Us?” Maybe he hasn’t betrayed you, but he’s betrayed everyone to the left of him.
He’s not a democrat, so he should quit lying.
Framing No Limits as a “centrist group” would be hilarious if they weren’t such a danger to America. No Limits exists to be a spoiler candidate to get Trump elected. After all, Harlan Crow—Clarence Thomas’ billionaire BFF and massive Republican donor—is a major contributor to No Limits.
Also, Joe Manchin can suck an egg.
Good riddance?
As much as I hate the guy and his blantant dishonesty (especially about political affiliation)
The guy happens to be threatening control of the house. Though it sounds like he’s fishing for bribes or something from the pubies.
*control of the senate
small correction. agree wholeheartedly otherwise.
Since he’d become an independent who caucuses with the democrats, it wouldn’t change the balance of power in the senate even if there were still a 50/50 split. Sanders, Angus King, and Sinema are already independents who causus with the democrats.
If he caucuses with democrats,
There’s no real reason to think he’d caucus with the Republicans. He votes with Democrats far more often than he votes with Republicans.
That’s kinda why I think this statement is more of a “hey, Republicans, offer me something.” kind of thing rather than political maneuvering. he’s fishing for bribes/concessions that benefit his oil business. (like he’s always done.)
*coal, but same thing
Oh enersystems is coal.
I was referring to his donors, who are pushing the Mountain Valley Pipeline.
In short he took a bribe. I guess i said that poorly
He’s going to lose his seat, and he isn’t supporting anything worthwhile on the democratic agenda. Democrats need to defend 23 seats vs 11 for the Republicans, and Manchin is going to be a red seat regardless of whether he wins or loses. If they retain the Senate, it will be because of a massive blue turnout, and those blue voters are not enthusiastic about Manchin.
No one has seriously considered Manchin to be a Dem for a while, so, good for him to get with the times
Leave already. Quit taking democratic fundraising money if you aren’t a Dem.
He loves yummmy dark GOP money
Hopefully Synema loses her reelection and all these idiots leaving the Democratic Party learn a real hard lesson.
Her move to leave was blatant self interest. Polls showed she was going to lose a primary in a landslide. She has no chance in hell of winning re-election. She’s just hoping to be a spoiler at this point.
I don’t think I’ve seen anything that predicts she has a chance in hell. I’m betting she moves on to guest host on Fox.
Yeah, they need a new liar now that fucker Carlson is gone.
He’s been voting republican for years. Wolf in sheeps clothing. Fuck the GOP. Fuck Manchin
The wolf tries and fails to charade as a sheep, manchin doesn’t try a charade he just plays lip service and everyone goes “uh huh, sure” and we move on.
Yeah, well, fuck him now and later.
No don’t do that!
The amount of people that don’t understand that Manchin prevented Mitch McConnell from being the speaker of the Senate is disappointing.
Actually, I think this is the only reason he hasn’t been hung by his testicles by the rest of the Democrat party. It is literally the one and only purpose he serves, as he’s been a massive roadblock to virtually all other meaningful legislation.
And what people understand is we still need him for that purpose.
Right now, the Senate is a 51/49 split. If Diane Feinstein kicks the bucket, Manchin and Sinema would literally decide who the Senate Majority leader is. Piss off Manchin and he votes for McConnell, and would you really trust Sinema not to flip votes in exchange for political favors?
Manchin may be almost singlehandedly stopping the Democrat agenda, but it’s at least better (Read: slightly less shitty) than stopping the Democrat agenda and installing McConnell as majority leader and sending us backwards.
please leave. we know how you vote already
Let me know when he seriously considers leaving our planet.
He said wants something in return for not leaving.
Knowing his history and knowing Democrats, he’ll get it and then leave anyway.
