Democrat Senator ‘Thinking Seriously’ About Ditching Party

Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) said he’s “thinking seriously” about leaving the Democrat Party and becoming an independent before the 2024 election, The Hill reports.

Manchin reportedly is still weighing the decision of running for another Senate term or launching a third-party bid for president.

The West Virginia senator told radio host Hoppy Kercheval on Thursday the Democrat brand has “become so bad,” the outlet noted.

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin says he is “thinking seriously” about leaving the Democratic Party and declaring himself an Independent before the 2024 election. https://t.co/M6N8hpXoE3

— The Hill (@thehill) August 10, 2023

The Hill reports:

“I’m thinking seriously. For me, I have to have peace of mind, basically. The brand has become so bad — the D brand and R brand. In West Virginia, the D brand because it’s [the] national brand. It’s not the Democrats in West Virginia, it’s the Democrats in Washington.

“You’ve heard me say a million times I’m not a Washington Democrat,” he said.

Pressed by Kercheval, the host of “Talkline” on West Virginia Metro News, whether he’s really serious about becoming an independent, Manchin said, “I would think very seriously about that.”

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“I’ve been thinking about that for quite some time. I haven’t made any decisions whatsoever on any of my political direction. I want to make sure that my voice is truly an independent voice,” he said. “When I do speak, I want to be able to speak honestly about basically the extremes of the Democrat and Republican Party that’s harming our nation.”

If Manchin leaves the Democrat Party to become an independent, he would be the second senator to make the switch.

Senator Kyrsten Sinema (AZ) left the Democrat Party to become an independent last year.

As CNN noted last month, Manchin is considering throwing his hat in the 2024 presidential election.

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin on Monday defended his flirtation with a third-party presidential campaign, telling voters at a No Labels forum at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire that he had no plans to play “spoiler” in the 2024 election.

“I’ve never been in any race I’ve ever spoiled. I’ve been in races to win,” Manchin said. “And if I get in a race, I’m going to win.”

Sitting beside former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, a Republican, Manchin railed against withering bipartisanship in Washington, DC, saying the “business model” of the two major parties “is better if you’re divided.” Huntsman offered a similar critique, as the men complimented one another’s work and blamed the “extremes” of the Republican and Democratic parties on Capitol Hill for holding up popular legislation.

“We’re here,” Manchin told a supportive audience, “to make sure the American people have an option.”

Manchin largely demurred when faced with direct questions about his future plans. He is up for reelection to the Senate in 2024. When asked about a potential pivot to running on a No Labels ticket for the White House, Manchin said people were “putting the cart ahead of the horse” and that the group was only aiming “to make sure the American people have an option.”