Through Joe Manchin, West Virginia rules the roost

SILVER GROVE, West Virginia — West Virginia is a very special state, not just because of the spectacular geography, but also the people. Like many whose lives are conducted outside the engagement of social media or the spotlight of cable news, they are hospitable to a fault, pretty unlikely to ask you who you voted for, authentic, skeptical, hardworking, and proud of where they are from.

Who they send to Washington to represent them reflects those qualities. Think of Sen. Joe Manchin, who has told me in numerous interviews the thing he isn’t is a Washington Democrat. He sees himself as a West Virginian first.