Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) says he has been thinking about leaving the Democratic Party to become an independent before the 2024 elections.
“I’m thinking seriously what’s best for me, I have to have peace of mind basically.” Manchin told West Virginia radio host Hoppy Kercheval, according to The Hill. “The brand has become so bad — the D brand and R brand. 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.”
Though he is flirting with the idea of leaving the Democratic Party. Manchin said he’s not ready to make a final decision.
“I’ve been thinking about that for quite some time. I haven’t made any decisions whatsoever on any of my political direction. I want to make sure that my voice is truly an independent voice,” Manchin said pressed about whether he is seriously considering becoming an independent. “When I do speak, I want to be able to speak honestly about basically the extremes of the Democrat and Republican Party that’s harming our nation.”
Manchin, the last Democrat to win a statewide election in West Virginia, is also yet to reveal his plans for 2024. Its not clear whether he plans to run for re-election in what would be a tough Senate race or if he plans to launch a bid for the White House on the third party No Labels ticket.
If Manchin ultimately decides to leave the Democratic Party, he’ll join Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz) who left the party last December to become an independent.
