Ex-U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, who left the Democrat Party to become an independent before leaving Capitol Hill last year, has clearly had his differences with his former party over the years.
Now that a socialist wave has taken root, the West Virginia moderate is speaking out even more forcefully.
As The Hill reported, he took “Face The Nation” host Margaret Brennan to task when she pressed him on potentially supporting any of the far-left candidates:
“No way, my God, no,” Manchin said.
ADVERTISEMENT“Even if they have some good ideas?” Brennan pressed.
“I’ll support the good ideas, but how could you support some of the crazy stuff they’re for? Have you seen their platform?” Manchin responded.
“They’re for dismantling everything that we know … whether it be the structure of government, Congress itself or the Senate, they want to get rid of. And then they start talking about all the crazy things: no police, no this, no this, no that,” he added. “Are you crazy?”
His forceful repudiation of socialism sparked some social media discussion:
Joe Manchin finally admits what everyone knows: the Democrats’ biggest threat is their own socialist wing.
— Matthew Newgarden (@a_newgarden) August 3, 2026
There is your fake news. No denying it. When will she come to reality and admit she’s a propagandist for the liberal radical Dems. There are no truths or facts in her program. Just lies.
— Sandy Foder (@SantaFoder) August 3, 2026
CBS's Margaret Brennan is baffled that rational people wouldn't back a socialist candidate:
Brennan: "Could you ever support a self-described socialist candidate?"
Joe Manchin: "No way. My God, no."
Brennan: "Even if they had some good ideas?!"
Manchin: "I support the good… pic.twitter.com/69gW0F3I4o
— Julia 🇺🇸 (@Jules31415) August 3, 2026
His remarks came as voters continue to cast ballots in primary races that will shape the outcome of November’s midterm elections.
The Michigan Senate race, in particular, has fueled some intense divisions between Democrats, as Fox News reported:
Boosted by a string of victories this spring in mostly blue congressional districts across the country, the Democrats’ ideological war moves to the Great Lakes battleground state, where progressive victories could reshape the party and endanger must-hold seats in the midterm elections.
ADVERTISEMENTAlso at stake as Michigan joins Kansas, Missouri, Virginia and Washington State in holding mid-summer primaries is President Donald Trump’s immense clout over the GOP and the power of his endorsements in Republican nominating contests.
But taking top billing is Michigan’s divisive and expensive Democratic Senate primary, which is seen as the biggest stage to date in the fierce fight for the future of the Democratic Party.
“This is ground zero in the battle for the future of the Democratic Party, pitting status quo corporate Democrats against shake up the system economic fighters, and we’ll see who wins,” Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), a leading group on the left, told Fox News Digital.
The primary face-off pits Abdul El-Sayed, a former Wayne County Health Department director, against Rep. Haley Stevens, a more moderate candidate backed by the establishment. The race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who is backing Stevens, is a must-hold for the Democrats and one of roughly a dozen Senate races from coast to coast that will determine if Republicans hold onto their slim Senate majority.
Here’s a full clip of Manchin’s CBS News appearance:
Former Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) says America's two-party system has "choked out" competition, as he and his daughter, Heather Manchin, spearhead a new effort to elect independent candidates to Congress that would not caucus with either party.
"We're saying, be an independent, be… pic.twitter.com/YkzUBuXFfS
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) August 2, 2026
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