Sen. Joe Manchin is no longer a Democrat. That may not change very much in Congress
Retiring U.S. Senator Joe Manchin’s decision to leave the Democratic Party on Friday resulted from “partisan extremism” as he officially changed his affiliation to independent—much like his Arizona colleague, Senator Kyrsten Sinema in 2022.
“Our national politics are broken, and neither party is willing to compromise to find common ground,” Manchin said in a statement, adding that both parties were jeopardizing democracy.
The Democrats hold a narrow majority in the U.S. Senate. There are 47 Democratic Senators, but along with four independents that caucus with them, they have a narrow margin of 2 votes—51 compared to the 49 Republicans.
It appears that not as much will change with the 76-year-old West Virginia lawmaker’s switch.
Manchin’s communication director confirmed to Paste BN that he will stay aligned with the Democrats for the rest of his term before retiring at the end of this year. He will also retain his powerful committee assignments on the Appropriations, Armed Services, Veterans Affairs Energy, and Natural Resources Committee, which he chairs.
But is Manchin leaving the U.S. Senate to run for office elsewhere? In an interview with Manu Raju of CNN on Friday, the senator denied another political bid yet refused to rule it out. “You never leave any political opportunity and walk away from that, so you always have options because life is full of surprises.”
Riley Beggin contributed to the reporting of this story.
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