Sen. Manchin Leaving Door Open to Becoming Independent

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) suggested he is open to becoming an independent like Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) but has no intention of leaving the Democratic Party anytime soon.

“I’ll look at all of these things. I’ve always looked at all those things, but I have no intention of doing anything right now. Whether I do something later, I can’t tell you what the future is going to bring,” Manchin told CNN’s Manu Raju on Monday.

The senator has at times proven to be a thorn in the Biden administration’s side, by crossing party lines to oppose legislation or block White House appointees. He has also continually opposed efforts to eliminate the filibuster, which would make it easier for Democrats to pass legislation.

“I’m not a Washington Democrat, I don’t know what to tell you,” Manchin said. “But I have a lot of friends who aren’t Washington Republicans, and if a Washington independent is, as I said, more comfortable, you know, we’ll see what happens there, we’ll have to look. Whether I do something later, I can’t tell you what the future’s going to bring. I can only tell you where I am and my mindset” now, he said to reporters.

Manchin maintained that people are “very upset” and “don’t like the bickering” that goes on in politics, echoing long-standing criticisms. He threatened in October 2021 to switch his affiliation to independent if fellow colleagues weren’t happy with his policy positions.

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“I said, me being a moderate centrist Democrat, if that causes you a problem, let me know, and I’d switch to be an independent. But I’d still be caucusing with Democrats,” he said at the time, describing his discussions with Democratic members during negotiations over Biden’s climate change and tax reform agenda.

Manchin said Monday that he hadn’t yet made a decision about whether he intends to run in 2024.