West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin says he's "thinking seriously" about leaving the Democratic Party and declaring himself an independent before the 2024 election.
In a Thursday podcast with West Virginia Metro News "Talkline" host Hoppy Kercheval, Manchin said he hasn't decided on his political direction, which could include running for a fourth Senate term or waging a third-party bid for president.
"I'm thinking seriously. For me, I have to have peace of mind, basically," Manchin told Kercheval about possibly leaving the Democratic Party, The Hill reported. "The brand has become so bad — the D brand and R brand. In West Virginia, the D brand because it's [the] national brand. It's not the Democrats in West Virginia, it's the Democrats in Washington.
"You've heard me say a million times I'm not a Washington Democrat."
Earlier this year, Manchin described himself as an independent Democrat.
Kercheval pressed Manchin on whether he's really serious about becoming an independent.
"I would think very seriously about that," the senator said. "I've been thinking about that for quite some time. I haven't made any decisions whatsoever on any of my political direction. I want to make sure that my voice is truly an independent voice.
"When I do speak, I want to be able to speak honestly about basically the extremes of the Democrat and Republican Party that's harming our nation."
Manchin added that he needs more time before announcing a decision.
"When I get ready to make a decision, I'll come see you," he told Kercheval.
Manchin says he will decide by year's end whether to run for reelection or for president as a third-party candidate.
The possibility of Manchin running for president as an independent concerns many Democrats, who believe his candidacy would harm President Joe Biden's reelection bid.
"I don't see that favoring either side, because you just can't tell how this is going to break," he said Thursday. "If come January and February of next year these are still the main contenders, Donald Trump and Joe Biden, that's a whole other scenario.
"If they are not — and it could break between now and then — that changes the game completely. The bottom line is, 'Will the middle speak up? Does the middle have a voice?' "
Manchin last month headlined an event in New Hampshire for the centrist No Labels organization, which has been promoting a potential "unity ticket" as a third option in the 2024 presidential race.
A former West Virginia governor, Manchin faces a tough reelection race in a red state that Donald Trump won with 68.5% of the vote in 2016 and 68.6% in 2020.
Manchin trailed Gov. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., by 22 percentage points in a hypothetical U.S. Senate race in East Carolina Center for Survey Research survey results published in May.
Justice first must beat Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., in the Republican primary.
Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., left the Democratic Party and registered as an Independent in December.
Republicans are hoping to win back control of the Senate next year. Democrats currently hold a 51-49 voting advantage.
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Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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