West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin has benefited from holding off on disclosing his position as the swing vote in a chamber that is sharply split between Republicans and Democrats.
Regarding the next phase of his political career, he has adopted a similar strategy: the centrist Democrat has hinted at retirement, a potential run for Senate reelection, or even a 2024 presidential campaign, maybe as an independent.
This week, when visiting the capital of West Virginia for several days, the 76-year-old emphasized his mounting dissatisfaction with the divisive U.S. two-party system.
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“I’m having a hard time — I really am,” he said while touring a Charleston metal stamping plant. “The two-party system, unless it changes, will be the downfall of our country.”
He told reporters he was “getting closer” to a 2024 decision, repeating that he’ll announce the end of the year.
However, he avoided discussing his political affiliation, which has been a Democrat since he first entered the 1982 race for the House of Delegates in West Virginia.
“Don’t worry about the ‘D’ or the ‘R’, worry about the person — who is that person?” said Manchin. “There can be a good D and a bad D and a good R and a bad R, but the identity — I like more the independent identity.”
When Manchin, his wife, and daughter met with Democratic donors this past Labor Day weekend, they told the senator he should run for reelection, according to the Washington Post. Manchin insisted he would only do so as an independent, which he believes would be necessary to win.
Republican Gov. Jim Justice and GOP Rep. Alex Mooney are vying for their party’s nomination to potentially take on Manchin in 2024, and a late May survey from East Carolina University suggests both would beat the senator in a general. Another poll from Research America released Sept. 1 indicates Manchin has a 4-point lead over Mooney, but would lose to Justice, the GOP primary frontrunner, by 13 points.
The senator also privately met with former President Bill Clinton, who advised Manchin not to run for president, citing similar concerns from other Democrats that it could allow for former President Donald Trump, the clear frontrunner for the Republican primary, to secure a win against President Joe Biden, according to the Post.
Manchin has already publicly floated departing from the Democrats, and told West Virginia radio host Hoppy Kercheval that he’s “thinking seriously” about it.
“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,” said Manchin. “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.”
Manchin served in both chambers of the state legislature in the 1980s and 1990s prior to his time as secretary of state, according to Ballotpedia.
The senator went on to complete two terms as governor before being elected to the upper chamber in a special election in 2010, and the election 2018 was his most narrow victory against a Republican opponent by only 3.3 points.
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