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Manchin appears to keep door open to becoming an independent

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.
Posted at 11:08 AM, Dec 19, 2022
and last updated 2022-12-19 13:08:27-05

Sen. Joe Manchin has no intention of following in the immediate footsteps of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema.

Sinema announced earlier this month that she was leaving the Democratic Party to become an independent.

Manchin, a moderate Democrat, said on CBS Face the Nation that he has no intention of changing anything right now, but he appeared to keep his options open.

"I'll let you know later what I decide to do, but right now I have no intentions of changing anything except for working for West Virginians, trying to give them
more opportunities, better quality of life, and basically making sure our country is energy secured," he said.

Despite Sinama leaving the party, Democrats will have a 51-49 edge in the Senate following the November midterms. Sinema said she had no intention of caucusing with Republicans.

Many progressive Democrats have expressed their frustrations with Machin and Sinema for putting up roadblocks to President Joe Biden's agenda.

Both senators have repeatedly said they will vote in a manner that benefits their constituents, even if that means going against the president.