Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia made headlines a week ago when he announced that he won’t be running for re-election, which opens up an opportunity for the GOP to pick up a senate seat in the next elections.
Since he made the announcement, there has been speculation that he would run for president, which he hasn’t confirmed or denied.
Here it is…
🚨Sen. Joe Manchin says he 'absolutely' would consider a presidential run.
He also says he thinks Biden needs to move more to the middle — the man we elected has swung too far left.
Come on! Nobody believes that do they?#WhoFundsNoLabels
Would have loved for… pic.twitter.com/o3KfDEN7UJ— Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline) November 15, 2023
On Wednesday, Manchin reinforced the rumors that he will make a presidential run when he said he was considering leaving the Democratic Party.
Sen. Joe Manchin (https://t.co/waPScvSVml.) suggested that he is “considering” leaving the Democratic party in comments made just one week after he announced that he would not seek reelection to the Senate https://t.co/0tuV5csaMI pic.twitter.com/ZnRjPcpCgg
— The Hill (@thehill) November 16, 2023
From The Hill:
During an interview on CNN, anchor Kaitlan Collins pressed the West Virginia senator on whether he was thinking about leaving the party after expressing disdain for what he called the “business of politics.”
“The business of politics has gotten so big because the business model is a Democrat business and a Republican business and it’s really forgotten about the people to a certain extent,” Manchin said.
“All they want is 51 or greater to be the majority and then they do so much damage trying to get there,” he continued.
When first asked if was going to leave the Democratic Party, Manchin stressed that he has always been an “independent” thinker and voter over the course of an almost 40-year-long political career.
“I’ve never considered myself a Washington Democrat,” Manchin said. “I’ve been a very independent person.”
Manchin to @kaitlancollins on prospect of leaving the Dem party: "I have never considered myself a Washington Democrat, I've been a very independent person…I am independent thinking, I vote independently…I know what you're saying, but we'll see. I haven't gotten there yet."
— Meridith McGraw (@meridithmcgraw) November 16, 2023
The West Virginia Senator then acknowledged Collin’s initial inquiry, saying “I know what you’re saying, but we’ll see, I haven’t gotten there yet.”
He went on to admit that leaving the party was something that “you always consider.”
Pressed on whether he's on the verge of leaving the Democratic party, here's how Sen. Joe Manchin responded. Our full interview airs tonight at 9 p.m. pic.twitter.com/hDnW6oGRWK
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) November 16, 2023
“I’m sure they’d be happy— they might throw me out so who knows, they might do me a favor, I don’t know,” Manchin said.
Manchin, who held his seat since 2010, had long been considered the most vulnerable Senate Democrat ahead of the 2024 presidential election with the senator’s decision not to launch a campaign solidifying Democratic fears that the seat will almost certainly be won by Republicans in next year’s election.
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