CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) 鈥 U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin said that he has been thinking 鈥渟eriously鈥 about leaving the Democratic Party and becoming an independent.
The West Virginia lawmaker, who has raised his national profile as a swing vote on major spending packages in the closely divided U.S. Senate, made the comments on MetroNews 鈥淭alkline鈥 on Thursday.
鈥淚 would think very seriously about that. I鈥檝e been thinking about that for quite some time. I haven鈥檛 made any decisions whatsoever on any of my political direction,鈥 Manchin said. 鈥淚 want to make sure my voice is truly an independent voice, when I鈥檓 speaking I鈥檓 speaking about the good the Republicans do and the good the Democrats continue to do.鈥
Manchin hasn't officially announced whether he will run for reelection, but two Republicans, Gov. and Rep. , have already announced their candidacies for his Senate seat. The senator had recruited Justice to run for governor as a Democrat before Justice switched to the GOP at a rally for former President Donald Trump during his first term.
The comments from Manchin on Thursday are the most serious he's made about a possible switch to independent.
鈥淔or me, I have to have peace of mind basically,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he brand has become so bad. The 鈥楧鈥 brand and 鈥楻鈥 brand. In West Virginia, the 鈥楧鈥 brand because it鈥檚 nationally bad. It鈥檚 not the Democrats in West Virginia. It鈥檚 the Democrats in Washington or the Washington policies of the Democrats. You鈥檝e heard me say a million times that I鈥檓 not a Washington Democrat.鈥
In the Democratic caucus, his colleagues over the past few years have grown weary of Manchin, whose vote is one of two they cannot live without in a 51-49 Senate 鈥 but whose nearly constant chides at many in party, particularly Democratic President Joe Biden has left them concerned that he could switch parties and take away their slim hold on power.
One of his most stunning rebukes of his party came in December 2021 when after months of painstaking negotiations directly with the White House, Manchin pulled his support from a dealing a fatal blow to Biden鈥檚 leading domestic initiative in his first year in office.
Months later, in a shocking turn of events, Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer crafted a to ultimately pass and sign into law a modest domestic bill focused on healthcare and combating climate change.
