Democrat Senator Joe Manchin quits party, says US ‘politics are broken’
- The long-time West Virginia lawmaker, who is not running for re-election, has registered as an independent but will still caucus with his old party
- Republican Jim Justice is expected to easily capture Manchin’s seat in the November polls
Retiring US Senator Joe Manchin, a frequent thorn in the side of the Democratic Party, on Friday left the Democrats, decrying “partisan extremism” as he followed in the footsteps of fellow former party maverick Senator Kyrsten Sinema.
Like Sinema, Manchin registered as an independent. The 76-year-old West Virginia lawmaker’s move will have no practical effect as he, like his Arizona colleague, will continue to caucus with Democrats, who hold a slim 51-49 majority in the Senate. Republicans, however, are seen as all but certain to win his seat in the November 5 election.
“Our national politics are broken and neither party is willing to compromise to find common ground,” Manchin said in a statement, adding that both parties had embraced “partisan extremism” and were putting democracy in jeopardy.
Manchin and Sinema were key votes on multiple pieces of legislation early in Democratic US President Joe Biden’s administration, including a massive infrastructure bill.
But he has also forced some sweeping legislation to be scaled back and, along with Sinema, stood in the way of plans to reform or scrap the filibuster, a procedural tool that requires 60 votes to advance most legislation in the chamber.