Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin Says He's 'Thinking' About Becoming an Independent

The wild card West Virginia lawmaker has not yet made a decision one way or the other

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin says he's "thinking" about switching his political affiliation from Democrat to independent, but hasn't yet made the decision one way or the other.

“I would think very seriously about that. I’ve been thinking about that for quite some time. I haven’t made any decisions whatsoever on any of my political direction,” the West Virginia lawmaker said during an interview with MetroNews Talkline this week. “I want to make sure my voice is truly an independent voice, when I’m speaking I’m speaking about the good the Republicans do and the good the Democrats continue to do.”

Related: Democrat Joe Manchin Says He Has 'No Intention' of Switching Parties, But Doesn't Rule Out a Future Change

Manchin has openly mused about switching political affiliations in the past, particularly after Sen. Kyrsten Sinema made the decision to leave the Democratic Party and become an independent last December.

Speaking to reporters after Sinema's announcement, Manchin said he had "no intention" of making the same decision, but added: "Whether I do something later, I can't tell you what the future's going to bring. I can only tell you where I am and my mindset," The Hill reported.

Manchin — who is up for reelection in 2024 — comes from a storied Democratic family, but is often cited as the most conservative member of his party in the Senate.

He has described himself as a "moderate Democrat" but has swatted down rumors of leaving the party in the past, telling reporters in 2022 that an anonymously sourced report about a plan to switch his party affiliation was "bull----."

Related: Joe Manchin's Possible Third-Party Presidential Run Could Massively Impact U.S. Politics

"I can't control rumors, and it's bull----, bull---- spelled with b, u, l, l, capital B!" Manchin said at the time, per The Hill.

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But after flatly denying the story, Manchin later told The Hill and Fox News that he had offered to leave the Democratic Party and become an independent while still caucusing with the Democrats, if that would be helpful to his colleagues with whom he disagreed by making his politics more clear.

"If it is 'embarrassing' to them to have a moderate, centrist Democrat in the mix and if it would help them publicly, I could become an independent," he claimed he offered.

Related: Sen. Joe Manchin Says He Can Handle Attacks from Both Sides That Paint Him as 'the Hero and the Villain'

More recently, Manchin has been the subject of rumors concerning a potential third-party presidential bid. In July, the senator appeared at an event hosted by No Labels, a group co-chaired by former Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman that has been mulling whether it will nominate a third-party candidate.

While Manchin told CNN’s Manu Raju his appearance was "nothing about a third party," he also hedged his response by saying, "I’ve never ruled out anything or ruled in anything."

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