Vice President Mike Pence slammed Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., on Twitter Wednesday with a long thread condemning the senator for voting “no” on a number of Republican policies.
“@Sen_JoeManchin is going to keep voting against West Virginia & I think Chuck Schumer & Nancy Pelosi are pretty happy w/ the way he votes. But WV needs to let him know that they EXPECT BETTER & they need to let Joe know that WEST VIRGINIA DESERVES BETTER. #Joevotedno,” Pence tweeted.
Manchin announced last week that he would seek re-election this year.
“I’ve said this point blank: If people like me can’t win from Red states, you’ll be in the minority the rest of your life,” Manchin told the New York Times, referring to his centrist views.
Pence is scheduled to travel to West Virginia with Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross on Wednesday where they are scheduled to deliver remarks during a visit to Worldwide Equipment, Inc.
When the time came to repeal & replace the disaster of Obamacare, Joe voted NO. When we empowered West Virginia to defund Planned Parenthood, Joe voted NO. And when it comes to securing our Southern border, Joe said, “I’m not voting for the wall, either.” #JoeVotedNo
— Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) January 31, 2018
“When the time came to repeal & replace the disaster of Obamacare, Joe voted NO. When we empowered West Virginia to defund Planned Parenthood, Joe voted NO. And when it comes to securing our Southern border, Joe said, “I’m not voting for the wall, either,” Pence added.
Democrats are trying to regain control of the Senate in 2018, but they have to defend 10 seats in states President Trump carried. West Virginia remains the state where Trump is most popular.
Jon Favreau, speechwriter for former President Barack Obama, criticized Pence’s remarks on Twitter, calling them “blatant campaigning from an official account.”
1. This is blatant campaigning from an official account.
2. This is what all Joe Manchin’s SOTU praise and respectful applause earned him. https://t.co/OmDf7jwM6Q
— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) January 31, 2018
As vice president, Pence is exempt from the Hatch Act, which prohibits members of the executive branch from engaging in “any active part” of political campaigns.
