To the left wing of the Democratic Party, he is an obstacle in need of replacement by the next Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. To the White House, he is a “key partner to the president.”
It’s all part of the delicate dance with Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. The most conservative Democrat in the Senate, if not all of Congress, represents a state that twice voted for Donald Trump by more than 40 points. West Virginia is becoming an increasingly difficult place for Democrats to win elections. With the chamber split 50-50 between the two parties, he has become a crucial swing vote on legislation.
For President Biden, himself a 36-year veteran of the Senate, the easiest path forward for his legislative agenda is to cultivate a relationship with Manchin. But the West Virginian is a major source of irritation to liberals who believe that with unified control of the elected branches of the federal government, Democrats should deliver on liberal policy priorities.
Manchin doesn’t want to eliminate the filibuster, which effectively sets a 60-vote threshold for passing most legislation. He isn’t crazy about using budget reconciliation to evade this requirement to pass a COVID-19 relief package, though he hasn’t torpedoed that process. But like many Republicans, he wishes that package was more carefully targeted. And he is opposed to a $15 an hour federal minimum wage, saying $11 suits his state better.
But Manchin has been strategic about when to use his newfound leverage. He came out in support of Biden’s nominee for secretary of the interior, Rep. Deb Haaland of New Mexico, despite some misgivings. He instead announced his opposition to Neera Tanden as budget director, potentially scuttling her nomination.
“Progressive Democrats like Bernie Sanders won’t shed any tears if Joe Biden’s choice for OMB director crashes and burns,” he said. Blocking the $15 minimum wage, or later on legislation related to gun control or abortion, would be a different story.
Some liberals aren’t waiting around for Manchin to disappoint them. The No Excuses PAC, founded by operatives who backed Ocasio-Cortez, has already urged grassroots supporters to tell “Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema that they will be primaried and replaced in 2024 if they join with Republicans to shrink own party’s pandemic, climate and economic plans.” (Sinema of Arizona is another problematic centrist Democrat.) The group wants to “find the next AOC” to replace them.
The White House has already learned even the mildest threats can backfire. When Vice President Kamala Harris, whose tiebreaking vote is the only reason Democrats control the Senate, gave interviews to West Virginia media outlets pushing the administration’s line on an issue with which Manchin disagreed, he was clearly irritated. Manchin noted Harris, a former Senate colleague, had failed to alert him to the backyard media blitz beforehand and said, “That’s not a way of working together.”
This prompted a speedy course correction. “We’ve been in touch with Sen. Manchin, as we have been for many weeks, and will continue to be moving forward,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki assured reporters. “And not only is he a key partner to the president and to the White House on this package, but on his agenda. And we will remain in close touch with him.”
Psaki reiterated the swing senator’s importance before the end of the press briefing. “As I noted before to an earlier question, we’re certainly in touch with Sen. Manchin and his team, as we have been for some time, and we’ll continue to be,” she said. “And he’s an important partner as we look to move forward on this package and, of course, all of the president’s agenda.”
Manchin’s vote is at least in play in a way that a Republican representing a rapidly reddening state would not be. West Virginia’s other senator, Republican Shelley Moore Capito, favors a $10 minimum wage paired with mandatory E-Verify to block the hiring of illegal immigrants, a plan introduced by GOP Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Mitt Romney of Utah. Manchin beat a conservative in 2018 as Democratic incumbents in other Trump states fell.
“He’s a pain, but Democrats need to understand the whole country isn’t Brooklyn,” said a Democratic campaign consultant. “If we lose that seat, we’re not getting it back for years.”
