Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin refused to rule out leaving the Democratic Party while speaking with reporters on Monday.
“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
Representing the second-reddest state in the nation, Manchin is up for re-election in 2024. Republican Rep. Alex Mooney has already declared a challenge to the two-term senator, and Gov. Jim Justice is also weighing a bid. (RELATED: Sen. Joe Manchin Weighs Into House GOP Primary With Major Endorsement Against Trump-Backed Candidate)
No other Democrat has been elected state-wide in West Virginia since 2016, when Justice won the governorship by nearly seven points. He switched parties in 2017.
Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced Friday, Dec. 9, that she is leaving the Democratic Party and becoming independent. She will continue to caucus with Senate Democrats and is maintaining her current committee assignments. The move helps to insulate Sinema from a primary challenge, which Rep. Ruben Gallego has threatened.
Republicans including Justice and Texas Sen. John Cornyn have reached out to Manchin about switching parties. The most conservative Senate Democrat, Manchin one of only two members of his party to oppose legislation that would legalize abortion up to the moment of birth and eliminate conscience protections for doctors and nurses. Manchin and Sinema were also the only Senate Democrats to oppose eliminating the filibuster in a January vote.