Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced on Tuesday that he plans to stay in the Senate after weighing whether he wanted to run for governor again in his home state.
“Ultimately, I believe my role as U.S. Senator allows me to position our state for success for the rest of this century,” Manchin said in a press release. “As the top Democrat and Ranking Member on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, I am going to push the Senate to take up and pass energy technology bills that invest in all-of-the-above energy that will keep our country as the world economic leader.”
The West Virginia Democrat pledged to “work with the President to accomplish what best serves our state and our country.”
“And I will speak truth to power when I don’t agree with the path the President has chosen to take–that is what West Virginians elected me to do!” he continued.
Before Manchin was elected to the Senate in 2010, he had served as West Virginia’s governor for 10 years.
The moderate Democrat won reelection last year despite his state voting overwhelming for President Donald Trump in 2016.
Once again, Manchin never fails to disappoint.
Manchin may be a pain in the neck to Senate Democrats, but he’s far better there if Democrats can win a majority.
I don’t understand the negativity… I’m no fan of his, but I’m relieved he’s staying in the senate. That’s one less seat to worry about towards the majority.
As I understand, the disappointment is because he may have a “D” behind his name, but he often doesn’t act like it. You really want to have someone on your team that you can count on, but he’s not that someone.
On the other hand, if we can squeak out something that looks like a majority, he may play along more.