CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — US Senator Joe Manchin has left the Democratic Party. Instead, Manchin will run as an independent candidate.
Senator Manchin went to the Secretary of State’s office in the Capitol and had his picture taken as he changed his party affiliation.
Then his office issued a statement that said, in part, “Since I became a U.S. Senator in 2010, I have seen both the Democratic and Republican parties abandon West Virginia and our country for partisan extremism, putting our democracy at risk. Today, our national politics is broken, and neither party is willing to compromise to find common ground.”
All of this sparked political debate across the state about whether Manchin would run as an independent candidate for U.S. Senator or governor.
“I take him at his word that he is not running for re-election to the U.S. Senate and that he is not running for governor. And that he fully supports his friend Steve Williams for governor of West Virginia,” said Del. Mike Pushkin (D) of Kanawha and chairman of the state party.
Would it be possible for him to run for the US Senate as an independent?
“Absolutely, I mean, anything is possible these days. He would just have to get the signatures on his petition, which would be no problem for Joe,” said Tom Susman, a political analyst at WMOV radio.
Huntington Mayor Steve Williams, the Democratic candidate for governor, says he has assurances that Manchin is focused on building an independent political institution that represents nonpartisan policies. Williams believes Manchin is not seeking to run for office this year.
Incidentally, anyone who wants to run as an independent candidate must resign from their party on Friday to meet the 60-day filing deadline for independent candidates. Since that deadline is two months from Saturday, it only further fueled speculation about Manchin.
