BREAKING: Senator Joe Manchin May Leave The Democrat Party Ahead of 2024 Elections

Credit: AP Photo

Senator Joe Manchin (D, WV) is keeping his personal 2024 decision very quiet. Many are speculating that he will run for re-election in West Virginia in the Senate. Rumors are stirring that he may opt to run for the White House, on a third-party ticket.

Manchin is a centrist Democratic senator, who joins the likes of Kirsten Sinema in Arizona and Jon Tester of Montana. They often vote against or openly criticize policies by the Biden administration and more left-leaning senators. Manchin is known for working across the aisle to achieve bipartisanship on major issues, like the Inflation Reduction Act.

Manchin has suggested in the past that he may leave the Democrat Party. He said voters are “starving” for less partisanship in politics.

He said voters are sick of “this constant, daily routine of everyone’s against everybody and everybody’s fighting and arguing.” 

“Let’s be for the country and get something done,” he said.

The Washington Examiner reported:

He has noted his 12-year relationship with the No Labels, a centrist party group that is working to gain access to ballots across all 50 states to open the doors for a third-party candidate in the presidential elections. 

The nonprofit organization is committed to raising roughly $70 million to gather signatures and qualify for the 2024 ballots in individual states, per NPR. So far, they’ve gained access in Arizona, Colorado, Alaska, and Oregon. 

When asked about whether he could run nationwide on the No Labels ticket, Manchin said, “People are starving, starving to work together.”

“I’ve been part of No Labels since December of 2010. It’s the only game in town that wants to bring people together and get Democrats and Republicans working together,” he said. 

Still, the West Virginia senator has kept quiet on his plans for the next election. He said he plans to announce his decision in early 2024.

The 2024 West Virginia Senate race is one to keep an eye on. The red-leaning state has an opportunity to flip the Senate.

Governor Jim Justice (R, WV) entered the Senate race last week and joined Rep. Alex Mooney (R, WV) in the race to unseat Manchin.

Justice appears to be Manchin’s toughest opponent. Polls show that Justice is the only Republican with a lead over Manchin. The governor is also entering the race with a 64% approval rating, which means that Republicans, some Democrats, and some independents approve of his work as governor.

Manchin has ramped up his criticism of President Joe Biden. People speculate this may be an indicator that he plans to run against him for the White House.

The Washington Examiner also shared:

The West Virginia senator said he would vote to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act if the Biden administration does not adhere to the provisions. He also recently led a coalition of Senate Democrats, who are also facing reelection in 2024, in pushing back against the president’s green energy plan granting exemptions for solar panel tariffs. 

He has also blasted Biden and top Senate Democrats for not coming together to address the looming debt ceiling crisis and applauded House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA ) for introducing and passing a debt limit package to raise the ceiling and cut spending.

“It has been more than 78 days since President Biden last met with Speaker McCarthy,” Manchin said in a statement on April 20. “This signals a deficiency of leadership, and it must change.”