Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin is "seriously" considering becoming an Independent lawmaker following a series of disagreements with his current party over various policies and issues.
His remarks on Thursday also came after Manchin said that Washington Democratic lawmakers' brand had become "so bad." He added that he wants peace of mind and argued that both sides of the government have become something he does not want to be involved with.
Manchin Considers Becoming Independent
During an interview, Manchin said, "In West Virginia, the D brand because it's [the] national brand. It's not the Democrats in West Virginia, it's the Democrats in Washington."
Many have asked Manchin several times about a potential party shift, especially after being responsible for killing off key pieces of United States President Joe Biden's progressive agenda, such as the Build Back Better proposal, as per Fox News.
Manchin is currently facing a fierce GOP Senate challenge from West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice if he decides to run for re-election. This comes despite the senator being a fixture of the state's Democratic Party in a heavily Republican-leading area.
On the other hand, he has been considered a thorn in Biden's side, and GOP lawmakers widely panned him for ultimately supporting the Inflation Reduction Act. The measure included various provisions that progressives supporters in an attempt to address climate change.
The senator's latest comments were made after he sparked rumors of a potential third-party presidential bid by refusing to rule the idea out in a No Labels event in New Hampshire. Manchin denied that such a thing would damage Biden, which is something that the president's allies have warned about.
Manchin's consideration also comes after earlier this year; he regarded himself as an independent Democrat. It is also eight months after Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona announced her decision to separate from the Democratic Party and become an Independent lawmaker, according to The Hill.
The Democratic Party
In December, Sinema said that she never felt like she fit "into any party box," adding that she never really tried because she did not want to. On the other hand, Manchin said he might decide by the end of the year whether or not he would run for a fourth Senate term.
In a poll published in May, the East Carolina Center for Survey Research revealed that the Democratic lawmaker was trailing Justice by 22 percentage points in a hypothetical Senate race.
Earlier this year, Democratic strategist David Axelrod speculated that Manchin could run for president supported by No Labels. This bipartisan centrist group plans to raise $70 million to place an Independent lawmaker or third-party candidate on the presidential ballot next year.
When Manchin becomes an Independent lawmaker and caucuses with Democrats, the chamber would be left with a 51-49 Democratic majority. But if he decides not to caucus with the left, he would lose his chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, which is highly unlikely for him to choose, said CNN.
