After asking Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin if he wanted to switch parties, a CNN reporter unearthed some potentially terrible news for Democrats. After Senator Sinema switched to the Republican Party, all eyes are on Manchin. Both are more in line with conservative ideals and oppose Biden’s liberal agenda.
On Friday, December 9, Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema proclaimed her independence from the Democratic Party. She will continue to serve on her current committees and caucus with Senate Democrats. The move shields Sinema from a primary challenge from Rep. Ruben Gallego.
During a press conference on Monday, Manchin declined to rule out quitting the Democratic Party.
“I’ll look at all of these things. I’ll look at every circumstance, and I have no intention of doing anything right now. Whether I do something later I can’t tell you what the future is going to bring,” he said in response to a question from CNN’s Manu Raju.
“I’m not a Washington Democrat. I don’t know what else to tell you. … And if a Washington independent is — we’ll see what happens there. We’ll have to look. People are registering more for independent than any other party affiliation, they are sick and tired of it,” he continued.
Manchin: “I’m not a Washington Democrat. I don't know what else to tell you. … And if a Washington independent is — we'll see what happens there. We'll have to look. People are registering more for independent than any other party affiliation, they are sick and tired of it.”
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) December 12, 2022
Manchin is up for reelection in 2024, representing the nation’s second-reddest state. Both Republican Rep. Alex Mooney and Governor Jim Justice are considering running against the two-term senator.
No other Democrat has won statewide office in West Virginia since Justice’s election as governor in 2016, which he won by more than seven points. He switched parties in 2017.
Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Clarence Thomas, both Republicans, have approached Manchin about joining their party. Manchin, the Senate’s most conservative Democrat, was one of just two Democrats to reject legislation that would have legalized abortion until delivery and abolished nurse and doctor conscientious objector restrictions. Manchin and Sinema were the only Senate Democrats to vote against repealing the filibuster in January.