Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia registers as independent, citing ‘partisan extremism’
WASHINGTON — Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced Friday that he has registered as an independent, raising questions about his future political plans.
Manchin, who would have faced a tough reelection bid in November had he run, has long been an outspoken critic of the Democratic Party and an obstacle to many of President Joe Biden’s legislative priorities.
Manchin has served in the Senate since 2010. He is chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. He said in a statement that over the past 15 years he has seen both major political parties abandon their voters “because of partisan extremism, while endangering our democracy.”
“Today our national politics are fractured and neither side is willing to compromise to find common ground,” Manchin said. “To stay true to myself and committed to putting country before party, I have decided to register as an independent, with no party affiliation, and continue to fight for America’s sensible majority.”
But his announcement left many questions unanswered. Manchin did not indicate whether he will continue negotiating with Democrats in the Senate, where they have a slim majority. And he did not indicate whether he will run for higher office in the near future.
A request for further comment from his office was not immediately returned.
Manchin announced in February that he would not run for president because he did not want to be a “spoiler.”
“I’m not going to look for a third party,” he said in a speech at West Virginia University. “I will not be involved in a presidential run. I will ensure that we get a president who has the knowledge, the passion and the ability to bring this country together.”
The speech was announced as part of a national listening tour that Manchin announced when he decided not to seek another term in the Senate. He told the Morgantown crowd that he had no interest in being “a deal breaker, if you will, a spoiler, whatever you want to call it.”
“I just don’t think this is the right time,” he said at the time.