Free Republic

• Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia said he will not run for reelection in 2024. • “I have made one of the toughest decisions of my life and decided that I will not be running for reelection to the United States Senate,” Manchin said in a video posted on X. • But he said he will stay active in politics and consider whether there is interest in “a movement to mobilize the middle.”

DEMOCRAT JOE MANCHIN ANNOUNCES THAT HE WILL NOT SEEK REELECTION

On Friday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) stated that in order to convince people to support Ukraine funding “Democrats have to come to grips that we have to close that border down.” And urged President Joe Biden to declare a national emergency the way former President Trump did “and shut it down tight.” Manchin also stated that “asylum basically should be put on hiatus for six months or so until we can get an immigration policy that works for our country and also gives people the chance to come here the right way to take care...

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said that an open Democratic primary would make President Biden a “stronger candidate.” When MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough asked Manchin on “Morning Joe” if Biden was the “best choice” to beat former President Trump, he said that he didn’t know “who else was out there.” He suggested that an open primary could benefit the sitting president, saying that he could learn from his opponents. “I’ve always been scared, because I’ve always never been unopposed,” he said. “And that was always good. You know, let me tell you something, I’ve learned from every race I was ever in....

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said over the weekend that he will make a decision about whether he is going to launch a third party run for president within the next three months. Speaking to Shannon Bream on Fox News’ “Fox News Sunday,” Manchin asked: “Why not have options? People aren’t satisfied right now.” “A lot of people like you as an option. And you’ve said, once you make a decision, a target will be on your back,” Bream said. “So you’re waiting till the right time. But the fact is, the calendar is now going to start working against you....

The shorts were short-lived. The Senate on Wednesday unanimously passed a bill that requires members to follow a dress code that will include a coat, tie, and slacks for men, ending controversy triggered over Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman displaying his casual style on the floor. “Though we’ve never had an official dress code, the events over the past week have made us all feel as though formalizing one is the right path forward,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement. “I deeply appreciate Senator Fetterman working with me to come to an agreement that we all find acceptable,...

The great sartorial scandal over John Fetterman's signature hoodie-and-shorts has now come to a close after the Senate unanimously passed a resolution enacting a formal dress code. The resolution, brought forth by fellow Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin, W. Va., passed without a formal vote by unanimous consent and clarified that the Senate floor would have a formal dress code. Hours earlier, Fetterman had already announced he would wear a suit and tie while speaking or presiding over the Senate floor. Fetterman, like others, could still wear his trademark garb and vote from the cloak room on the edge of the...

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said during the Texas Tribune Festival this week that it would be a danger to reelect former President Donald Trump and that the Republican Party is sliding towards an “autocracy.” Manchin spoke with Evan Smith, the cofounder and senior adviser for the Texas Tribune, about why he has not flirted with becoming a Republican as he continues to ponder if he should run for reelection or run for president as an independent. After giving his critique of the Democrat party, he said that he has many dear friends in the Republican Party; however, he lamented the...

West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin has floated a proposal to reverse changes to the Senate dress code that permit members of the upper chamber to dress as they please. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer confirmed this week that senators, but not their staffers or reporters, would no longer be subject to dress requirements. The move appeared to accommodate Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman, who prefers to dress in athletic shorts and a hoodie.

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) explored creating a new political party with fellow centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), according to an excerpt released Wednesday in Romney’s forthcoming biography. “They’d talked about the prospect before, but it was always hypothetical. Now Romney wanted to make it real,” the book excerpt reads. “His goal for the yet-unnamed party … would be to promote the kind of centrist policies he’d worked on with Manchin in the Senate.” Romney’s plans for the party, according to the biography excerpt, would not be to support a separate candidate, but to “pledge support to the candidate who came...

On Monday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Your World,” Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) stated that while he thinks there are some positives from the Inflation Reduction Act, the Biden administration is “dispersing more out and rewarding areas where we are still dependent on unreliable supply chains.” Manchin stated, [relevant remarks begin around 3:05] “The IRA bill was the only one that was done in a partisan way, because of the laws that we have here and the rules of how we conduct ourselves. But I can assure you, writing that energy portion, I was concerned about energy security. We’re...

In the race for U.S. Senate, Gov. Jim Justice has a strong advantage over Congressman Alex Mooney in the Republican primary and an edge over incumbent Joe Manchin in a possible General Election matchup. And new polling shows that in the Republican race for governor, Delegate Moore Capito is leading a field that also includes Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, businessman Chris Miller and Secretary of State Mac Warner. Those snapshots are according to the most recent MetroNews West Virginia Poll results released this morning at the annual business summit hosted by the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce. The poll included...

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Wednesday said he will keep up his battle against the Biden administration and officials who seek to “undermine” the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) as part of their “radical climate agenda” on the first anniversary of it being signed into law. The West Virginia moderate, in a lengthy statement on the anniversary of the IRA being signed into law, praised parts of the legislation, which he helped author. Manchin lauded the IRA as “one of the most historic pieces of legislation passed in decades,” especially for middle- and working-class families. He also hailed its work to...

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin (D) says he is “thinking seriously” about leaving the Democratic Party and declaring himself an independent before the 2024 election, when he will have to decide whether to run for a fourth Senate term or wage a third-party bid for president. Manchin, who earlier this year described himself as an independent Democrat, told West Virginia radio host Hoppy Kercheval on Thursday that the Democratic brand has “become so bad.” “I’m thinking seriously. For me, I have to have peace of mind, basically. The brand has become so bad — the D brand and R brand....

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin (D) on Tuesday hailed the anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, the landmark law he co-authored in secret negotiations with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) a year ago that then became a major point of contention between Manchin and President Biden. “The Inflation Reduction Act is one of the most historic pieces of legislation passed in decades, and we are already seeing real results in West Virginia,” Manchin said in a statement, claiming the law has reduced the nation’s debt by $238 billion.

Citing an increased risk of default, Fitch Ratings downgraded US government debt. Richard Francis, a senior director at Fitch, said "the rising quantity of borrowed money combined with a collapse of revenues raises the odds that lenders will not be paid back in full for the funds they have lent to the US government. It is our obligation to apprise future potential lenders of this fact." US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called the downgrade "flawed and entirely unwarranted. It's not as if we are unable to secure the funds that will be needed to pay off these loans. There is...

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who has railed against the nation’s record-high debt, on Thursday called Fitch Ratings’ downgrade of the U.S. credit rating from AAA to AA+ a “historic failure of leadership by both political parties and the executive branch.” Manchin, who is flirting with a presidential run as a third-party candidate backed by the group No Labels, has regularly criticized what he views as the lack of bipartisan cooperation in Washington. He blamed the nation’s latest credit downgrade on the inability of Republicans and Democrats in Congress and President Biden to make significant progress in addressing the nation’s $32...

Conservatives were handed another win by the Supreme Court on Thursday when they reversed a ruling by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, allowing the Mountain Valley Pipeline to move forward with construction. At a time when energy independence is slipping from America’s fingers under the Biden-Harris regime, at least one Democrat is pleased by the decision. Senator Joe Manchin has fought to keep the pipeline going, including his spearheading of legislative efforts to improve it in the first place. The story isn’t just good news for Republicans fighting for improved domestic energy production. It also marks another point for...

Long-time Democrat strategist James Carville told CNN's Anderson Cooper that "left-wing academic Cornel West seeking the Green Party's presidential nomination is a threat to the continued constitutional order in the United States. I say this because it was Ralph Nader's third-party run for president that enabled the vile George W. Bush to narrowly defeat Al Gore in the 2000 election. It's very clear that the only thing that Dr. West's candidacy can do is help elect Donald Trump. I don't think any of that is arguable. Rather than sit idle and let this disaster happen President Biden should issue an...

The Supreme Court may soon weigh in on Mountain Valley Pipeline developers’ request to vacate a federal court’s order to halt construction on the project, which developers argue conflicts with a law Congress passed guaranteeing its completion. Developers of the natural gas pipeline filed an emergency application Friday with Chief Justice John Roberts, who handles petitions from the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, asking the Supreme Court to allow the project to continue. The Fourth Circuit sided with environmental groups challenging the pipeline and temporarily halted the project last week, an order the developers argue “flew in the face” of...