Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., revealed in a new interview he has “absolutely” thought about leaving the Democratic Party to become an independent lawmaker.
“I’ve been thinking about that for quite some time,” Manchin told West Virginia’s MetroNews’ “Talkline” show in a Thursday interview.
“The brand has become so bad. The ‘D’ brand and ‘R’ brand. In West Virginia, the ‘D’ brand beause it’s nationally bad. It’s not the Democrats in West Virginia. It’s the Democrats in Washington or the Washington policies of the Democrats. You’ve heard me say a million times that I’m not a Washington Democrat,” the lawmaker added.
The centrist Democrat also said he believes “the business of politics has gotten so, so absolutely toxic.”
Manchin faces a tough Senate reelection bid next year, though he has long flirted with the possibility of an independent presidential campaign.
“The political parties have not delivered,” Manchin told a New Hampshire town hall last month sponsored by No Labels, a bipartisan political organization that is seeking to get on presidential ballots in all 50 states.
Democrats have warned that a third-party bid could help former President Donald Trump win his second term in office.
‘We need options:’Joe Manchin flirts with third-party bid against Joe Biden, Donald Trump
But Manchin’s flirtation with a presidential bid isn’t the only time he has clashed with his own political party. The West Virginia lawmaker has often been an unreliable vote for his current party, including calling out President Joe Biden and his fellow Democratic colleagues as lawmakers sought to negotiate a debt ceiling plan earlier this year.
Manchin during the Thursday interview also criticized the Biden administration’s implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act, legislation the West Virginia lawmaker helped write. He argued that the White House is using its provisions to “cater” to Democrats to Manchin’s left.
Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced she was leaving the Democratic Party and registering as an independent last year. Two other independents, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Sen. Angus King of Maine, also serve in the Senate, though they caucus with Democrats.
