Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said Thursday he is “thinking seriously” about dropping his affiliation with the Democratic Party and becoming an independent.

Why it matters: Manchin has made a career out of proclaiming his independence from D.C. Democrats. But his latest comments have added significance, given his public flirtation with a possible third party presidential bid in 2024.

What he’s saying: “I’m thinking seriously,” Manchin told West Virginia radio host Hoppy Kercheval, adding, “I have to have peace of mind, basically. The brand has become so bad. The D brand and R brand … You’ve heard me say a million times, I am not a Washington Democrat.”

  • Pressed on how seriously he is approaching the idea, Manchin said he has “been thinking about that for quite some time” and wants to “make sure that my voice is truly an independent voice.”
  • Manchin said he hasn’t “made any decisions,” telling Kercheval, “When I get ready to make a decision, I’ll come see you.”

The backdrop: Manchin has been dropping hints for months that he may follow the lead of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), who announced her switch to independent in December but still caucuses with Democrats.

  • Asked about becoming an independent later that month during a CBS News interview, Manchin said, “I’ll let you know later what I decide to do, but right now I have no intention of changing anything.”
  • There were rumors as far back as 2021 that Manchin may bolt the party – though he dismissed them then as “bull****.”

What we’re watching: Manchin faces an uphill reelection battle in a state that voted for former President Trump by nearly 40 percentage points in 2020. The frontrunner in the GOP primary for his seat is popular Gov. Jim Justice.

  • Manchin has spent the last year distancing himself from President Biden and fellow Democrats, repudiating parts of the Inflation Reduction Act and even threatening to oppose Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency nominees.
  • He may also decide to go another way. He headlined a New Hampshire town hall last month hosted by No Labels, a centrist group that is laying the groundwork for a potential third party presidential ticket.
        • Hypnos9@artemis.camp
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          8
          arrow-down
          42
          ·
          1 year ago

          Do you consider anything right of Socialist right wing? Because that’s what it sounds like.

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            26
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            1 year ago

            Are you suggesting Biden isn’t a conservative Democrat? Because his record, especially when it comes to crime, says otherwise.

            • Hypnos9@artemis.camp
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              4
              arrow-down
              29
              ·
              1 year ago

              Yes, I am saying Biden isn’t Conservative. The notion that he is Conservative is ridiculous. Biden is a typical centrist to center left Democrat.

                • Hypnos9@artemis.camp
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  4
                  arrow-down
                  22
                  ·
                  1 year ago

                  I mean, kind of, Conservative Democrats are usually moderate Conservatives, but Biden is still farther left than that, look at his environmental programs, the Inflation Reduction Act, and Amtrak funding.

        • BrooklynMan
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          15
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          Of course, you can’t say Sinema anymore because she left the party. 

        • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          4
          ·
          1 year ago

          Henry Cuellar. Of course, Coathanger Cuellar is in the House, but we won’t know who the Senate’s next Manchin is until the next time progressive legislation is in danger of passing.

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            7
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            1 year ago

            Why does it matter if they don’t vote with Republicans more? What matters is they vote with them when it really counts. Or worse, just hold things up by threatening to until they get their way. Manchin especially has done this multiple times.

            • popcap200
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              3
              arrow-down
              2
              ·
              1 year ago

              Idk. To me I’d rather have Manchin, a registered dem in West Virginia than any Republican that would win there over him. IMO a progressive can’t win in West Virginia. The fact we have any dem there is fantastic, even if that dem is a terrible dem.

      • PrinceWith999Enemies@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        Biden and Clinton are center-right democrats. Buttigieg is center-right to center. Bloomberg is a right wing democrat. Warren and Sanders are center left to left. Tulsi Gabbard is not on the chart. Manchin and Sinema are not on the chart.

        They should pull his funding and his assignments and send them where they can do more good. The republicans shot themselves in the foot by overplaying the culture war thing. They lost on abortion in almost every race. Shit, they lost on an off year special ballot initiative in freaking Ohio just because it would pertain to abortion in a future election - it wasn’t even mentioned on the ballot, even though they tried to deny it was about preventing a popular vote on keeping abortion legal. Everyone just knows by now that they’re lying about that kind of thing, because they just can’t back away from the issue.

        • Hypnos9@artemis.camp
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          1 year ago

          On an American scale, Joe Biden is not right wing. He is center left. He is socially left wing, supporting lgbtq+ rights, and abortion. He is also economically left wing, supporting unions and green energy.

          A Conservative Democrat isn’t a term for a centrist Democrat, it’s a term for Conservatives registered/running as a Democrat. They are most Drmocrats in ancestrally Drmocratic states like WV and Kentucky.