Two United States Senators are in Athens this morning, taking part in the University of Georgia’s Johnny Isakson Symposium on Political Civility. It is an event named in honor of the late Georgia Senator and UGA alum. Featured speakers for the 10 o’clock event in the Chapel on North Campus are West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin and recently retired Missouri Republican Roy Blunt.
Manchin’s appearance in Athens comes a day after his announcement that he will not seek reelection to his Senate seat in 2024.
From the Associated Press…
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced Thursday that he won’t seek reelection in 2024, giving Republicans a prime opportunity to pick up a seat in the heavily GOP state.
Manchin, 76, said he made the decision “after months of deliberation and long conversations” with his family.
“I believe in my heart of hearts that I have accomplished what I set out to do for West Virginia,” he said in a statement. “I have made one of the toughest decisions of my life and decided that I will not be running for re-election to the United States Senate, but what I will be doing is traveling the country and speaking out to see if there is an interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle and bring Americans together.”
His decision to step down, while not totally unexpected, severely hampers Democratic hopes of holding on to the coal country seat and marks the end of an era for West Virginia, which voted reliably blue for decades before flipping red and becoming one of former President Donald Trump’s most loyal states. For the last few years, Manchin has been the only Democrat elected to statewide office in West Virginia.
But his statement also fuels growing speculation that Manchin harbors national political ambitions. In recent months, he has teased a 2024 presidential campaign, possibly as an independent candidate, although it’s unclear what his voter base would be. Along those lines, a group pushing for Manchin to partner with retiring Utah Sen. Mitt Romney to seek a third-party presidential bid filed paperwork to form a formal draft committee with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday.
Manchin’s announcement also reinforces the challenges Democrats will have in keeping their 51-49 Senate majority. Even before Manchin said he was stepping down, 2024 was shaping up to be a tough election cycle for Senate Democrats. The party will be forced to defend 23 seats, including three held by independents and three held by Democrats in states won by Trump in 2020, compared to just 10 seats for Republicans.
Republican challengers have long been clamoring for Manchin’s seat. GOP Rep. Alex Mooney jumped into the race less than two weeks after winning his fifth term in the House in November 2022. Hugely popular two-term Republican Gov. Jim Justice joined the Senate race earlier this year and was endorsed by Trump, only increasing the challenges for Manchin as he considered whether to seek reelection.
Justice noted in a statement Thursday that he and the senator “have not always agreed on policy and politics.”
“But we’re both lifelong West Virginians who love this state beyond belief, and I respect and thank him for his many years of public service,” the governor said.
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