Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia has benefited from waiting to reveal where he stands as the swing vote in a chamber closely divided between Democrats and Republicans.
He’s taken the same approach when it comes to the next phase of his political career: The moderate Democrat has teased possible retirement, a run for reelection to the Senate or even a presidential campaign in 2024 — possibly as an independent candidate.
During a multi-day trip to West Virginia’s capital this week, the 76-year-old expressed growing frustration with the polarized U.S. two-party system.
I’m curious who you’d want to better represent people from West Virginia? Trump won the presidential vote ~69% to ~30% in 2020 (and by a similar margin in 2016). If Manchin retires, he’s going to be replaced by a MAGA republican. Even though he is far to the right of the typical Democrat, he’s really the best the Democratic party can hope for from that state