Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia has announced that he will not seek reelection in 2024, providing Republicans with an opportunity to gain a seat in the predominantly GOP state. In a statement, the 76-year-old senator said he made the decision after extensive discussions with his family, believing that he has accomplished his goals for West Virginia. Instead of running for reelection, Manchin plans to travel the country and speak out to gauge interest in creating a movement to unite Americans.
Manchin’s retirement significantly diminishes Democratic hopes of retaining the coal country seat. He has been the sole Democrat elected to a statewide office in West Virginia for several years, having served as governor, secretary of state, and state legislator. Even before Manchin’s announcement, Republican challengers were vying for the Senate seat. GOP Representative Alex Mooney entered the race less than two weeks after winning his fifth term in the House in November 2022. Additionally, two-term Republican Governor Jim Justice joined the Senate race and received an endorsement from former President Donald Trump, who won the state easily in both of his presidential campaigns.
The 2024 election cycle was already posing challenges for Senate Democrats, as they will need to defend 23 seats (including three held by independents) compared to just 10 seats for Republicans. Manchin is one of only three Democratic senators up for reelection in 2024 who represent states won by Trump in the 2020 election.
Throughout President Joe Biden’s first two years in office, Manchin, a conservative Democrat, played a critical but challenging role for his party. With the Senate divided evenly at 50-50 and Democrats in control thanks to Vice President Kamala Harris’ tiebreaking vote, Manchin used his political power to shape legislation to his liking. Together with Democratic-turned-independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, he diluted much of Biden’s social spending agenda and clashed with fellow Democrats over his staunch support for coal and other fossil fuels.
Manchin’s decision to retire comes just a year after Democrats expanded their Senate majority to 51-49 by winning a Republican-held seat in Pennsylvania. This victory gave Democrats the ability to pass bills even if they lost one vote within their caucus, reducing Manchin’s power to singlehandedly obstruct certain party priorities. Although Sinema also faces reelection in 2024, she has not yet announced her plans.
Manchin entered the Senate in 2010 after winning a special election following the death of Robert C. Byrd. He was reelected in 2012 and 2018, with the latter campaign being his most challenging in over three decades of West Virginia politics. Manchin defeated his opponent by a slim margin of just over 3 percentage points. However, the political landscape has shifted since then, with registered Republicans now outnumbering Democrats, and the state’s Legislature having Republican supermajorities. Trump also won the state by large margins in both the 2016 and 2020 elections.
Manchin’s tendency to deviate from fellow Democrats on crucial votes has strained relationships within his own party, with independent Senator Bernie Sanders even suggesting that he would support a primary challenger to Manchin in 2024. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell publicly invited Manchin to join the GOP, but the senator remained steadfast in his identification as a Democrat.
During Manchin’s tenure, West Virginia experienced significant job losses in the coal industry as companies and utilities explored alternative energy sources like natural gas, solar, and wind. While Manchin eventually supported the Biden administration’s clean energy plans involving the state, his efforts to expedite permits for natural gas pipelines and other energy projects, including one in his home state, were unsuccessful.
Despite his occasional breaks from party lines, Manchin voted with Democrats on important issues such as opposing the repeal of the Affordable Care Act in 2017. He was also the sole Democrat to support the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018 and one of three Democrats to back nominee Neil Gorsuch in 2017.
Note: This article has been corrected to reflect Manchin’s correct age of 76.
