Sen. Joe Manchin III, a conservative West Virginia Democrat who has said he will retire at the end of his term, changed his party affiliation to independent on Friday, the latest step in a years-long break with his party that leaves him open to reelection.
Manchin has said he will not run for Senate or governor (he served two terms in that position), but there are persistent rumors in Congress that he may change his mind.
In West Virginia, the deadline for independents to declare their candidacy is Aug. 1. Since Manchin announced he would not run again, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, has urged him to formally leave the Democratic Party and run for reelection as an independent.
If he does, Manchin would face off against two-term Gov. Jim Justice, a Democrat-turned-Republican who is Manchin’s longtime rival. Justice is popular in the state and his decision to run for Senate was seen as a key factor in Manchin’s decision not to seek reelection. His plan to drop out would all but ensure Democrats lose seats in the November election, jeopardizing their already tenuous control of the Senate.
Manchin has long threatened to leave the Democratic Party as it has drifted left. He has frequently complained that there is no room for a moderate like him in the Senate, often telling colleagues, “This place sucks.” But he has consistently said he does not consider himself a Republican, and he has been a strong critic of former President Donald J. Trump.
“Since becoming a U.S. Senator in 2010, I have watched as both Democrats and Republicans left West Virginia and our country behind for partisan extremism, endangering our democracy,” Manchin said in a statement Friday. “Today, our politics are fractured, with neither party willing to compromise and find common ground. To stay true to myself and my commitment to putting country above party, I have decided to register as an Independent and continue to fight for America’s good majority.”
By switching parties, Manchin will join three other senators who caucus with the Democratic Party but register as independents: Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine.
Manchin, a Democrat from a heavily Republican state, has always been a high-profile figure on Capitol Hill, repeatedly frustrating lawmakers as he clashed with them on progressive legislation and helped to scuttle some of their top priorities in a nearly evenly split Senate. But Manchin is also known for brokering deals to pass some of the most significant new legislation of President Biden’s term, including the passage of the largest clean energy investment bill in U.S. history.
Mr. Manchin took office in 2010 after winning a special election to fill the remaining term of Robert C. Byrd, a longtime Senate pillar who died at age 92. His houseboat, Almost Heaven, has become a hangout spot for senators from both parties.
