West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin finally left the Democratic Party and registered as an Independent almost a year after he teased the idea. He will still caucus with the Democrats.
Manchin announced in November he would not seek reelection.
“From my first day in public service in 1982, I have always focused on doing what’s best for my state and my country, without regard to party or politics. Throughout my days in elected office, I have always been proud of my commitment to common sense, bipartisanship and my desire to bring people together,” Manchin said in a statement. “It’s who I am. It’s who I will always be. I have never seen America through a partisan lens.”“However, since becoming a United States Senator in 2010, I have seen both the Democrat and Republican parties leave West Virginia and our country behind for partisan extremism while jeopardizing our democracy. Today, our national politics are broken and neither party is willing to compromise to find common ground. To stay true to myself and remain committed to put country before party, I have decided to register as an independent with no party affiliation and continue to fight for America’s sensible majority,” Manchin said.
The West Virginia Democratic Party thanked Manchin for his service.
Manchin announced in November that he would seek reelection. Since then, rumors have swirled he would launch a third-party presidential campaign.
In West Virginia, rumors have been around for years of another possible run for governor for Manchin.
Manchin served as governor from 2005 to 2010, when he became senator.
Republicans with financial resources have supposedly encouraged Manchin to run for governor.
Manchin changed his political party just in time to make the November ballot:
For a statewide or federal office, those signatures must be received by the Secretary of State by no later than August 1, along with the certificate of announcement and filing fee.Because a certificate of announcement must be filed with the nominating certificates, the candidate must attest under oath that he “has not been registered as a voter affiliated with any other political party for a period of 60 days before the date of filing the announcement.”So, with a deadline of August 1 for nominating certificates with signatures and the certificate of announcement, an individual currently registered with a recognized political party must change their political party to a minor/independent/no party affiliation at least 60 days prior to August 1; 60 days prior to August 1 is June 2, 2024, which means the individual must change their political party by no later than June 1 of this year to qualify as an independent candidate on this year’s general election ballot.June 1 is tomorrow.
Republican Jim Justice, the current governor, won the primary to run for Manchin’s seat.
Justice went from Democrat to Republican during President Donald Trump’s administration.
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