Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia promised his colleagues Tuesday that he will run for re-election the year, but expressed his frustration with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and others within Democratic leadership.
Senate Democrats have feared that Manchin — the most conservative Democrat in the Senate — would not seek reelection, hurting their chances of taking back the Republicans’s narrowly held 51-seat majority in the chamber.
Manchin’s announcement Tuesday will help to squelch some Democratic fears, but the announcement came with a warning: the party needs to figure out how to reconnect with an America that elected President Donald Trump in 2016.
“I’ve said this point blank: If people like me can’t win from red states, you’ll be in the minority the rest of your life,” Manchin told The New York Times.
The West Virginia senator said he would submit his reelection papers at the state capitol if the Senate adjourns early enough this week.
Manchin also reportedly met, along with freshman Democratic Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama, with Trump Monday to discuss a path forward on a legislative fix for the former President Barack Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
“They want to get moderates and make sure we can get something done,” Manchin said of the meeting with Trump.
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