Sen. Joe Manchin is encouraging Democratic Party leaders to go back to the drawing board when it comes to the kind of message they want to send to voters.
The West Virginia Democrat claims that since 2016, Democrats have had opportunities to reclaim the majority in the Senate and believes if party leadership doesn’t address its strategy and message, the party may be at risk of losing more seats in the future.
“Chuck (Schumer) has to understand we need to take a strong look at ourselves,” Manchin told Politico. “I’ve watched the last three elections: 2016, ‘18 and ‘20. We truly should have been in the majority and it didn’t happen. Whatever our message is, it hasn’t worked. And I would hope that our leadership from the top to bottom understands that. It has not worked. And if we’re going down that path again, we’re in trouble.”
A number of centrist Democrats have spoken out after many Senate Republican incumbents defied polls this month, holding onto seats that pollsters and strategists viewed as vulnerable in several states, such as South Carolina, Maine, and Iowa.
Republicans also picked up a number of House seats, despite polls predicting Democrats being able to sweep at least 10-15 seats.
Rep. Abigail Spanberger pointed to progressive messaging about defunding the police and GOP attacks alleging the party of encouraging socialism for closer-than-expected races and the loss of House seats. Other lawmakers, such as Pennsylvania Rep. Conor Lamb, defended moderate campaigns after some progressive members said they were susceptible to Republican attacks because of poor electioneering strategies.
Manchin, known for occasionally breaking party lines and being a swing vote in the Senate, was first elected to office in 2010. He won his reelection in 2018, despite West Virginia being a deep Republican stronghold. He made headlines when he became the only Democrat to vote in favor of Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018 during heated confirmation hearings.
Manchin, whose state still relies heavily on its coal mining industry, has been outspoken of more progressive ideas such as the Green New Deal and recently vowed to vote against court-packing and ending the filibuster.
“We’ve been tagged if you’ve got a D by your name, you must be for all the crazy stuff, and I’m not,” Manchin told Fox News earlier this week.
He added that he believes the majority of the country wants a centrist approach to governing, even as both sides become increasingly partisan.
“I’m a proud moderate conservative Democrat,” Manchin said. “Maybe there’s not many of us left, but I can tell you what this country wants is moderation.”
