West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin announced Friday that he is leaving the Democratic Party and registering as an Independent.
“Today, our national politics are broken and neither party is willing to compromise to find common ground,” Manchin said in a statement.
“To stay true to myself and remain committed to put country before party, I have decided to register as an independent with no party affiliation and continue to fight for America’s sensible majority.”
Manchin was first elected to the Senate in 2010 after serving as governor of West Virginia. He announced in November that he wouldn’t be running for reelection this year.
Earlier this month, current Republican Gov. Jim Justice won the Republican nomination for Senate and is widely expected to win the general election this fall.
But, things could get complicated if Manchin decides to run for his seat as an independent. Switching his party affiliation also gives him the flexibility of running for governor as an independent.
