Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) was adamant on Monday that his future does not hold any more political offices — at least for now.
The Democrat-turned-independent said he has “no intentions of running for political office” and that last week’s party switch was a long time in the making as he gears up to become more involved in his daughter’s nonprofit centrist political group, Americans Together.
“Me identifying now as an independent, which I’ve always been independent but changing my registration so as I transition six months from now, I’m going to be helping with Americans Together and my daughter,” Manchin told reporters at the Capitol. “The brands are so toxic here in America.”
“I’ve been voting independently like this for the last 13 years,” Manchin added.
Manchin, 76, has served in the Senate since 2010 and is not seeking reelection this November. He still caucuses with Democrats as an independent, which means he maintains his Senate Energy Committee gavel and the party keeps its one-seat majority.
Despite previously tamping down rumors he may seek another statewide office or mount long-shot third-party runs, his change in party registration fueled further speculation. It came one day before the deadline by which he needed to become an independent should he decide to run for an office by the Aug. 1 filing deadline.
“Our national politics are broken, and neither party is willing to compromise to find common ground,” Manchin said last week. “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 told the Washington Examiner on Monday that he was aware of the timing correlation and suggested it was no coincidence, even as he sought to assure reporters his time in public office is coming to a close.
“You never close any doors. I understand that too,” he said. “I’ve been around for a long time, and you never say never because you never know, especially in the toxic political world that we live in.”
Manchin confirmed that he’s standing by his endorsement of Huntington Mayor Steve Williams, the Democratic nominee for West Virginia governor, putting to bed the notion that he may mount an independent campaign. Manchin served as governor from 2005-2010.
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One of Manchin’s rallying cries as a centrist political advocate crisscrossing the country for Americans Together will be to gin up support for open primaries.
“My intentions are to transition into Americans Together, trying to bring the country together, understanding why we’re limited on the people that we have on the ballot to vote for in general elections,” he said.
