Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said Thursday he is “thinking seriously” about dropping his affiliation with the Democratic Party and becoming an independent.
Why it matters: Manchin has made a career out of proclaiming his independence from D.C. Democrats. But his latest comments have added significance, given his public flirtation with a possible third party presidential bid in 2024.
What he’s saying: “I’m thinking seriously,” Manchin told West Virginia radio host Hoppy Kercheval, adding, “I have to have peace of mind, basically. The brand has become so bad. The D brand and R brand … You’ve heard me say a million times, I am not a Washington Democrat.”
- Pressed on how seriously he is approaching the idea, Manchin said he has “been thinking about that for quite some time” and wants to “make sure that my voice is truly an independent voice.”
- Manchin said he hasn’t “made any decisions,” telling Kercheval, “When I get ready to make a decision, I’ll come see you.”
The backdrop: Manchin has been dropping hints for months that he may follow the lead of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), who announced her switch to independent in December but still caucuses with Democrats.
- Asked about becoming an independent later that month during a CBS News interview, Manchin said, “I’ll let you know later what I decide to do, but right now I have no intention of changing anything.”
- There were rumors as far back as 2021 that Manchin may bolt the party – though he dismissed them then as “bull****.”
What we’re watching: Manchin faces an uphill reelection battle in a state that voted for former President Trump by nearly 40 percentage points in 2020. The frontrunner in the GOP primary for his seat is popular Gov. Jim Justice.
- Manchin has spent the last year distancing himself from President Biden and fellow Democrats, repudiating parts of the Inflation Reduction Act and even threatening to oppose Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency nominees.
- He may also decide to go another way. He headlined a New Hampshire town hall last month hosted by No Labels, a centrist group that is laying the groundwork for a potential third party presidential ticket.
On an American scale, Joe Biden is not right wing. He is center left. He is socially left wing, supporting lgbtq+ rights, and abortion. He is also economically left wing, supporting unions and green energy.
A Conservative Democrat isn’t a term for a centrist Democrat, it’s a term for Conservatives registered/running as a Democrat. They are most Drmocrats in ancestrally Drmocratic states like WV and Kentucky.
Your observations are correct about what he supports, your characterization of the American political spectrum is not.
All democrats support lgbt rights. That’s like saying a republican is center right because they voted for a tax cut. It’s the default position in the party. The same with abortion. In fact, Biden has even said that as a Catholic he’s personally against abortion, but he’s for a woman’s right to choose. That’s the right wing position on the democratic side. Even on the lgbt front, he’s been extremely uninvolved. He’s done okay, but nothing remarkable, especially in the face of the injustices our community is facing. The same with unions and green energy.
And you know why it’s not only not center-left by the standards of the democratic party, it’s also in keeping with the majority of American citizens. LGBT rights and abortion rights are supported by the vast majority of Americans. It’s the republican party that has moved to the far right and invented wedge social issues, like lgbt rights as a political football. I’ve been active in the lgbt rights movement for more than thirty years, and this is socially as bad as it has been since the 90s. We’re heading back towards Anita Bryant.
That might be the default republican politician’s position, but that does not define the political spectrum within the democratic party nor does it define the political spectrum of America.