Source: Bill Clark / Getty
Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin said on Thursday that he will not seek re-election, hurting Democrats’ chance of defending their thin Senate majority in the 2024 election.
“I have made one of the toughest decisions of my life and decided that I will not be running for re-election to the United States Senate, but what I will be doing is traveling the country and speaking out to see if there is an interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle and bring Americans together,” Manchin said in a statement.
In his announcement, Manchin also said Americans were “worn out” by economic concerns.
“The majority of Americans are just plain worn out. Our economy is not working for many Americans from rising cost of food and fuel and everything in between,” Manchin said.
The move by the 76-year-old lawmaker will make it very difficult for Democrats to defend his West Virginia seat. Republicans hold the governor’s office and the rest of the congressional delegation in a state that Republican Donald Trump won by a wide 69-30% margin over Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
