Joe Manchin will not seek reelection to the Senate, a move that essentially cedes his seat to the GOP in deep red West Virginia and will remove one of Congress’ most prominent centrist voices in either party.
The Democratic senator indicated in a video posted Thursday to social media that he may not be leaving the political scene entirely, saying that he will be “traveling the country and speaking out to see if there is an interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle.” Manchin has repeatedly declined to rule out a third-party run for president.