Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced Friday that he was leaving the Democratic Party and registering as an independent.
Manchin announced in November that he would not be seeking re-election for his senate seat, fueling rumors that the senator may be considering a gubernatorial or presidential run, according to Politico. Manchin, 76, who has served in the Senate since 2010 and was a member of the Democratic Party for decades, announced the decision on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying that he wanted to “bring the country together.”
My commitment to do everything I can to bring our country together has led me to register as an independent with no party affiliation. pic.twitter.com/
tvMB2N87AW — Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) May 31, 2024
The state’s deadline to register to run for political office as an independent is Aug. 1 but state law allows the secretary of state to refuse to certify a candidate if they switched parties in under 60 days of filing, according to NBC News. Manchin also served as governor of West Virginia from 2005 to 2010 before running for senate in a special election after the death of Democrat Robert Byrd.
Manchin is the second Democratic senator to switch parties since 2022 when Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona left in December 2022 and also registered as an independent. West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice also switched parties in 2017 and registered as a Republican.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated accordingly
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