Wealthy donors have launched an all-out rescue effort to keep Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., from slipping under the partisan waves in West Virginia this November. But if he is consistent, he will throw back the lifebuoy.
Democrats are dropping hundreds of thousands of dollars on behalf of Manchin as the Washington Examiner detailed. For instance, the 501(c)4 PAC Duty and Honor has pledged almost $500,000 in dark money. Just last week, the group spent $80,000 on digital advertising in support of the incumbent Democrat.
And that is a problem because Manchin is on record condemning dark money for politicians.
Manchin, like so many other Democrats has condemned Citizens United, the Supreme Court decision that ruled that super PACs could spend as much money on behalf of whatever candidate without any type of disclosure whatsoever. He said the decision has “destroyed this country.”
“I don’t care who spends money against me,” a sanctimonious Manchin said at a town hall last April. “I really don’t care who runs against me. [If] I know the money, if I know where it’s coming from and I can trace it. It’s not transparent, [if] it’s not invisible, I know the purpose, and I can basically call that out and say let me tell you why this person doesn’t want me to get elected.”
But that was 14 months ago and that was before Manchin knew he would be facing conservative all-star Patrick Morrisey during the general election. Now it’s very possible that the money Morrisey condemned might be the only thing keeping him afloat.
Granted, Manchin can’t tell a private organization how to spend their money. If Manchin is consistent, though, he will condemn the dark money dropped on his behalf.
