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WILL NOT RUN AGAIN — Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced Thursday he will not seek re-election.
— Associated Press
CHARLESTON – U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin announced Thursday that he would not seek re-election in 2024.
Manchin, D-W.Va., made his announcement about his political future Thursday afternoon in a press release and video statement. Instead of seeking re-election, Manchin will focus on traveling the country to promote moderate political solutions.
“After months of deliberation and long conversations with my family, I believe in my heart of hearts that I have accomplished what I set out to do for West Virginia,” Manchin said. “I have made one of the toughest decisions of my life and decided that I will not be running for re-election to the United States Senate, but what I will be doing is traveling the country and speaking out to see if there is an interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle and bring Americans together.”
Manchin, 76, was first elected in a special election in 2010 to succeed the late U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, defeating Republican Morgantown businessman and media mogul John Raese. Manchin won a full six-year term to the U.S. Senate in 2012 after being challenged by Raese again.
In 2018, Manchin won re-election again, defeating Republican Attorney General Patrick Morrisey. Manchin defeated Morrisey 49.6% to 46.3% – a nearly four-point margin even with the backing of Morrisey by then-President Donald Trump, who visited the state three times during the 2018 elections.
Manchin became an important figure after the 2020 elections and 2021 special elections for U.S. Senate when Democrats held the 100-member Senate by a one-seat majority. This narrow majority gave Manchin leverage to negotiate on key bills, such as the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act and the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Manchin has spent nearly the last 12 months avoiding questions about his political future, telling reporters that he would make an announcement by the end of this year and that he would win any race his chooses to enter. Speculation around Manchin has centered on a Senate re-election campaign with a possible party registration change to independent, or a third party presidential run under a unity ticket for No Labels, a political group focused on political moderates.
“Every incentive in Washington is designed to make our politics extreme. The growing divide between Democrats and Republicans is paralyzing Congress and worsening our nation’s problems. The majority of Americans are just plain worn out,” Manchin said.
“I know our country isn’t as divided as Washington wants us to believe,” Manchin continued. “We share common values of family, freedom, democracy, dignity and a belief that together we can overcome any challenge. We need to take back America and not let this divisive hatred further pull us apart.”
A popular political figure in the state for most of his career in public service, Manchin’s job approval numbers began to plunge after negotiating what would become the $737 billion Inflation Reduction Act in 2022 after rejecting the $1.75 trillion Build Back Better social spending bill first proposed by Biden.
A former two-term governor of West Virginia and secretary of state, Manchin got his start in state politics as a member of the West Virginia Legislature, serving in both the House of Delegates and state Senate. His father and grandfather both served as mayor of Marlington in Marion County, and his uncle – A. James Manchin – served as secretary of state, state treasurer, and as a member of the House of Delegates.
Manchin’s wife, former First Lady Gayle Manchin, is a former member and president of the West Virginia Board of Education. She served as cabinet secretary for the formerly named state Department of Education and the Arts under Gov. Jim Justice. She was appointed as federal co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission in 2021 by President Joe Biden.
“When America is at her best, we get things done by putting country before party, working across the aisle and finding common ground,” Manchin said. “Many times, this approach has landed me in hot water, but the fight to unite has been well worth it.”
Today, West Virginia is attracting more investment, opportunity and jobs than it has in decades. Here at home and across the country we are building more roads, bridges, manufacturing plants and energy infrastructure than almost any time in American history.
“Public service has and continues to drive me every day,” Manchin continued. “That is the vow that I made to my father 40 years ago, and I intend to keep that vow until my dying day.”
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