Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) expressed his admiration for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), singling out his resilience in keeping the filibuster despite criticism.
McConnell announced that he would be stepping down from his leadership position in November, ending his long tenure as top dog among Senate Republicans. Manchin thanked McConnell for his actions during his tenure and expressed hope that his successor would act like him.
“My sincere thanks and appreciation to Senator McConnell for his nearly two decades of service to our nation as the Senate Republican Leader,” Manchin said in a statement. “I have always admired his knowledge and respect for this institution and his courage to protect the very essence of the Senate. Senator Robert C. Byrd, whose seat I now hold, once said: ‘No President makes me. No President elects me. No President can send me home.’”
The centrist Democrat then singled out a unique praise for the Kentucky Republican: his resilience during calls from other Democrats to do away with the filibuster.
“Leader McConnell lived it,” he continued. “He faced a barrage of criticism for refusing to eliminate the filibuster, but he never wavered and he never backed down. Our democracy and our country are stronger because of his principled leadership, and I hope the next Republican Leader will follow his example.”
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Doing away with the filibuster was a key goal of Democrats eager to take advantage of their Senate majority.
Manchin gave a similar announcement about his Senate career last year, revealing he would not run for reelection in 2024 after polling showed he would be soundly defeated by Gov. Jim Justice (R-WV). He flirted with a third-party presidential run for much of the past year before ultimately deciding against it.
