Senator Joe Manchin ‘Seriously’ Considering Becoming Independent

West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin said he is ‘thinking seriously’ of leaving the Democratic Party to become an independent.

The Details: The moderate Democrat, who is yet to decide whether he will run for reelection next year or make a play for the White House, discussed the possibility on a West Virginia radio show Thursday.

For Context: Manchin has previously toed the line of party ambiguity, most recently in July when he attended a “No Labels” town hall in New Hampshire. Manchin is expected to skip a prominent White House celebration next week, which will mark the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act.

Key Quotes: “The brand has become so bad, the ‘D’ brand and ‘R’ brand… It’s not the Democrats in West Virginia, it’s the Democrats in Washington or the Washington policies of the Democrats,” said Manchin. He also pushed back on the idea that a third-party candidate would hurt President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, saying, “I don’t see that favoring either side because you just can’t tell how this is going to break.”

How The Media Covered It: Sources across the spectrum covered the events somewhat similarly. CNN (Lean Left bias) noted that if Manchin switched to be independent, he would likely caucus with the Democrats in order to keep his chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.