Democrats are pulling out all stops to help Democratic Governor Joe Manchin beat Republican John Raese in the special election. But if the West Virginia Democrat does successfully win the election, Democrats may not be too pleased to have him as the deciding vote.
Manchin is conservative for a Democrat, and though his opponent has campaigned on the idea that he will be a “rubber stamp for Obama,” if he is elected, he may prove to be a powerful opponent of the administration on important issues like the environment, health care and tax cuts.
Perhaps the most famous image of Manchin from this campaign season is him shooting a bullet through the Cap and Trade bill in an ad. If that didn’t make his position clear enough, Manchin has explicitly voiced his opposition to the policy. In the single West Virginia Senate debate Manchin, when questioned on the subject, responded: “I respectfully disagree with President Obama. He is dead wrong on cap and trade. It would be the ruin not only of our state of West Virginia, but this entire economy for this country.”
In his capacity as governor, Manchin and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection are suing the Environmental Protection Agency for the way it went about regulating mining in West Virginia. It is in some ways a direct attack on the Obama administration. The EPA intervened for the first time in January of 2009, just after the administration changed because it claimed that mining was negatively impacting the water supply.
But as Randy Huffman, Cabinet Secretary of the WVDEP, told The Daily Caller in October, “In December of 2008, we didn’t know there was a problem. In January of 2009 the sky was falling,” he said. “And we’re not sure what changed, other than the obvious.”
Manchin has also made clear that he disagrees on parts of the health-care bill. He told Fox News last weekend that he would not have voted for the bill in its current form. In the past, however, Manchin has said come out in support of specific provisions in the bill, like coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. He also said that he would not repeal the whole bill, but instead keep certain parts that people agree with and repeal others.
The governor may also cause difficulties for Democrats in dealing with tax policy. In the Senate debate in October, Manchin came out in opposition of repealing the Bush tax cuts, even for those who make over $250,000 a year.
“I don’t think during time of recession you mess with any taxes or increase any taxes,” the governor said.
Manchin has cut taxes in West Virginia during his tenure as governor, making him the only Democratic governor to earn an A on the Cato Institutes report card for governors. In the Senate debate, he also said he supported a balanced budget amendment.
The latest poll, going into Election Day, has Manchin ahead by four points in the tight race.