Joe Manchin 'Seriously' Considering Leaving Democrat Party

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is “seriously” considering becoming an independent, contending that the Democrat brand has “become so bad.”

Manchin argued that Democrats in D.C. have tarnished the Democrat Party’s image.

“I’m thinking seriously. For me, I have to have peace of mind, basically,” he told West Virginia radio host Hoppy Kercheval. “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.

“You’ve heard me say a million times I’m not a Washington Democrat,” he added, saying that he is “very seriously” considering leaving the Democrat Party.

“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. 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,” the West Virginia Democrat continued.

Manchin would not be the first Democrat to leave the party; Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) became an independent eight months ago. The West Virginia senator, however, could also make a similar move to Sinema’s and still caucus with Democrats, which helps give Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) a Democrat majority.

He also said he will decide by the end of the year if he will run for a fourth term in the Senate or run for president as a third-party candidate under the “No Labels” affiliation. No Labels is a bipartisan centrist group that plans to raise $70 million to back an independent candidate for the 2024 presidential election.

Democrat strategist David Axelrod said that Manchin may run for president to serve as a “graceful exit” from Congress’s upper chamber, where he could face defeat in a state that has West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R), a potential challenger, leading him by 22 percent.

Manchin said his potential third-party candidacy would not spoil the election in favor of Republicans, where former President Donald Trump currently dominates the primary landscape.

Manchin remarked, “And the Democratic Party that I grew up with was responsible, I said they’re socially compassionate and fiscally responsible, they’ve got nowhere to go. So if we can create a movement, Hoppy, that people understand, we could have a voice.

“We could make a big, big splash, and maybe bring the traditional parties of the Democratic and Republican Party [to] what they used to be, back to what they should be today,” he added.

Watch: Biden Gloats While Signing Massive Tax and Spending Bill, Gives Pen to Joe Manchin

Despite Manchin touting his independence, he has helped Biden pass significant legislation, including the $700 billion Inflation Reduction Act, which contained many climate change provisions.