by Kate Anderson
Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced Friday that he is leaving the Democratic Party and registering as an independent.
In November, Manchin announced he would not seek re-election to the Senate, fueling rumors that the senator may be considering a run for governor or president. According to to Polityka. Manchin, 76, who has served in the Senate since 2010 and was a member of the Democratic Party for decades, announced decision on X, formerly known as Twitter, in which he stated that he wanted to “unite the country.”
My commitment to do everything in my power to unite our country led me to register as an independent, without party affiliation. pic.twitter.com/tvMB2N87AW
— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) May 31, 2024
The state’s deadline to register to run for political office as an independent is Aug. 1, but state law allows the secretary of state to deny endorsement to a candidate if he or she switched parties less than 60 days after filing. According to to NBC News. Manchin also served as West Virginia’s governor from 2005 to 2010 before running for the Senate in a special election following the death of Democrat Robert Byrd.
Manchin is the second Democratic senator to switch parties since 2022, when Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona left in December 2022 and also registered as an independent. West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, too switched party in 2017 and registered as a Republican.
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Kate Anderson is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“Joe Manchin” photo by Joe Manchin.
