Democrat Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia has disagreed with his own party’s leadership in recent years and refused to blindly follow orders.
It appears that tensions are growing as Machin is “seriously” considering leaving the Democrat Party and becoming an independent.
“I have to have peace of mind, basically,” the senator explained. “The brand has become so bad, the ‘D’ brand and ‘R’ brand.” (POLL: Is Joe Biden Fit to be President? Vote Now)
Joe Manchin says he’s ‘thinking seriously’ about leaving Democratic Party https://t.co/QkdLowhrUF pic.twitter.com/HDaEtd0sc5
— New York Post (@nypost) August 10, 2023
“In West Virginia, the ‘D’ brand because it’s [the] national brand. It’s not the Democrats in West Virginia, it’s the Democrats in Washington.”
“I would very seriously think about” becoming independent, he admitted.
“I’ve been thinking about that for quite some time,” Manchin said. “I haven’t made any decisions whatsoever on any of my political direction, I want to make sure that my voice is truly an independent voice.”
“When I do speak, I want to be able to speak honestly about basically the extremes of the Democrat and Republican Party that’s harming our nation,” he said.
“I don’t see that favoring either side because you just can’t tell how this is going to break,” Manchin said.
Manchin has held his seat since 2010. He was also the 35th governor of West Virginia from 2005 to 2010.
BREAKING: Joe Manchin says he's "thinking seriously" about LEAVING the Democrat Party.
Should he do it? pic.twitter.com/e4ZPdvLdWq
— TEAM USA 🇺🇸 (@__TEAM_USA) August 10, 2023
Born in Farmington, West Virginia, in 1947, Manchin graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in business administration in 1970. After college, he worked in the family coal business.
He was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1982 and served there for 14 years. In 2000, he was elected secretary of state of West Virginia. (Trending: Disney Just Pulled A Bud Light…)
In 2004, Manchin ran for governor of West Virginia. He defeated the Republican incumbent, Bob Wise, by a narrow margin. As governor, Manchin focused on economic development and job creation. He also worked to improve education and healthcare in the state.
In 2010, Manchin was elected to the United States Senate. He defeated the Republican nominee, John Raese, by a comfortable margin. In the Senate, Manchin has been a moderate Democrat.
He has often voted with Republicans on issues such as energy and gun control. However, he has also been a reliable vote for Democratic leadership on issues such as healthcare and climate change.
