Joe Manchin Will Stay in the Senate Because He Could Become Its Most Powerful Member

West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin has spent his time in the Senate loudly complaining about how much it “sucks” serving in the structurally broken chamber. For the past few months, Manchin—who just began a new six-year term in January—had an escape plan to mull over: challenging West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice—who won the governor’s mansion in 2016 as a Democrat before switching to the GOP the following year—for the governorship in 2020. Manchin served as governor prior to his Senate election in 2010, and he has called it the...