United States Senate Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Manchin Endorses Wheeling Mayor For US Senate Primary

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., endorsed Mayor of Wheeling Glenn Elliott for the Democratic primary election in this year’s race for the United States Senate.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., has endorsed a potential successor in the race for his United States Senate seat.

Manchin released a video Monday announcing his support for Glenn Elliott, the current mayor of Wheeling, in West Virginia’s May 14 Democratic primary election.

“He has the determination, the vigor and vitality to do the work required to be successful in the U.S. Senate here in Washington, D.C.,” Manchin said. “He’ll show up every day to fight for West Virginia to create jobs, grow our economy and make a better life for our people.”

After serving as senator since 2010, Manchin announced he would not seek reelection last November, citing frustrations over a tense partisan divide in Washington.

Manchin’s decision opened the door for new Democratic candidates like Elliott, who are vying to represent their party in the November general election despite the state’s increasingly Republican base. Manchin is the only Democrat currently holding statewide office in West Virginia.

To secure a place in the state’s Nov. 5 general election, Elliott must defeat two opponents in the Democratic primary: former Marine Zach Shrewsbury and former coal executive Don Blankenship.

Elliott said he was “thrilled” by the endorsement, and that his reputation for “working across the aisle” and “getting things done” helped secure Manchin’s support.

“The senator has made very clear he thinks politics in Washington is broken. One of the advantages of being a mayor is — especially wherever a town like Wheeling is — you don’t really have the luxury of letting politics get broken,” he said. “You gotta get things done.”

With this fall’s general election looming, West Virginia’s U.S. Senate race has become a focal point for both the Democratic and Republican parties nationally.

Both chambers of the United States Congress are led by narrow partisan majorities, with Democrats leading in the Senate and Republicans leading in the United States House of Representatives.

Political analysts have predicted that West Virginia will likely flip to a Republican senator in this year’s general election, which would threaten the Democratic Party’s already tenuous Senate majority.

Elliott said that Manchin’s endorsement suggested that “he thinks I’m the best option to keep the Senate seat going forward.”

Now backed by Manchin, Elliott said he hopes his campaign will appeal to West Virginia voters seeking a candidate who can follow through on their needs in Washington.

“We need folks who have a record of getting things done and who are doers,” he said. “I certainly bring that experience and perspective to the race.”

Manchin Floats National Emergency Declaration For Border After Bill Failed

Pictured here at the United States Capitol in 2023, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., called upon President Joe Biden to declare a national emergency over rising migration at the southern border.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., appeared visibly exasperated at a virtual news conference Thursday over congressional inaction at the U.S. border.

During the call, Manchin voiced discontent over Republicans in the U.S. Senate who blocked a bipartisan bill Wednesday. The bill would have increased border security while also extending aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan.

Manchin, like other Senate Democrats, alleged that Republicans voted against the bill to discredit President Joe Biden in advance of the presidential election.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers had developed the bill over four months. Manchin said these Republican lawmakers helped create the bill to earnestly address rapidly growing immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border.

“These are not friends of Democrats or friends of Joe Biden. Take the politics out of it,” he said. “They saw it absolutely would make a big difference in what we can do, and how we do our jobs.”

The bill, which received support from the main union of U.S. border patrol agents, would have added 27,000 new border security jobs and raised standards for claiming asylum in the U.S.

“That was the easiest vote I think anyone could ever make,” Manchin said.

For Manchin, the bill’s failure marked a major blow to bipartisan politics in Washington, and the possibility of addressing immigration before the end of his tenure this year.

“It really reaffirmed why I’m not running again — why I don’t want to run again,” he said.

Manchin urged Biden to declare a national emergency over burgeoning immigration through the southern border, emphasizing the improbability of effective and timely bipartisan action.

Meanwhile, he said immigration issues should figure prominently in how members of the public vote in the upcoming presidential election.

“The damage has been done,” he said. “If you want to use the border as a reason you’re going to vote Joe Biden, you’ve got plenty of reasons to do it.”

Sen. Joe Manchin Will Not Seek Reelection

The two term senator, first entering the Senate in 2010 to fill the unexpired term of the late Sen. Robert C. Byrd, did not rule out another run for a state or national office.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Updated on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023 at 3:45 p.m.

***Editor’s Note: This story was updated to include comments on Manchin’s decision as well as additional background.

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said Thursday he will not seek reelection to the United States Senate.

Manchin made the announcement in an email and video press release Thursday afternoon.

“After months of deliberation and long conversations with my family, I believe in my heart of hearts that I have accomplished what I set out to do for West Virginia,” Manchin said in the release. “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 highlighted key political issues in the release.

“Our economy is not working for many Americans from the rising cost of food and fuel and everything in between,” he said. “We have a border crisis with illegal drugs entering our country and killing Americans every day. Our national debt is out of control and Americans don’t feel safe in their own communities. We are providing critical aid to two of our allies fighting wars for their survival, and we must prevent being pulled into a major war ourselves. These are not Republican or Democratic challenges. They are American challenges. They affect every one of us, and we need to face them together.”

The two-term senator, first entering the Senate in 2010 to fill the unexpired term of the late Sen. Robert C. Byrd, did not rule out another run for a state or national office.

“Public service has and continues to drive me every day,” he said. “That is the vow that I made to my father 40 years ago, and I intend to keep that vow until my dying day.”

Manchin was facing a tough reelection in a state overwhelmingly won by former President Donald Trump. Trump has endorsed Republican Gov. Jim Justice for the seat Manchin currently holds.

A number of politicians have issued statements on Manchin’s decision.

Fellow U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito issues the following statement: “Thank you Joe and Gayle for your years of service to our beloved West Virginia. I’ve enjoyed serving alongside you— our senior senator. And as you said, we still have much work ahead of us. Thank you for your friendship, Joe. I look forward to that continuing.”

Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican, said “Senator Joe Manchin and I have not always agreed on policy and politics, but we’re both lifelong West Virginians who love this state beyond belief, and I respect and thank him for his many years of public service.”

Manchin was West Virginia’s 34th Governor, serving from 2005 to 2010. He was Secretary of State before becoming Governor. He became the state’s senior U.S. Senator when Jay Rockefeller retired in 2015.

He helped found and was the president of Enersystems, a coal brokerage company his family owns and operates.

Manchin won the 2004 West Virginia gubernatorial election by a large margin and was reelected by an even larger margin in 2008. He won the 2010 special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by incumbent Democrat Robert C. Byrd’s death with 53 percent of the vote, and in 2012 was elected to a full term with 61 percent of the vote. Manchin won a second term in 2018 with just under 50 percent of the vote.

State Sen. Mike Caputo, D-Marion, who represents Manchin’s home county said “I’ve had the honor and privilege of serving with Senator Manchin my entire political career—from his time as Secretary of State, through both of his gubernatorial terms, and while serving in the United States Senate. The Senator and I have agreed on many things, such as his leadership in the fight for our government to keep the promise of lifetime healthcare and pensions for coal miners. However, as happens in politics, we had disagreements as well. When that happened, we always disagreed with respect and civility. I will always respect him for the example he has set for his colleagues of how to discuss points of difference and overlap so that we can find some middle ground. Our country and our state need more of those discussions.”

Following Sen. Manchin’s announcement, John Findlay, the campaign manager for U.S. Rep. Alex Mooney, R-WV-2, released the following:

“With Joe Manchin out of the race, there’s only one candidate left in West Virginia who supports the liberal Biden agenda and that is Jim Justice. Congressman Alex Mooney is the only true conservative for U.S. Senate who will fight back against the Biden agenda and that is why he will win the Republican primary in May of 2024.”

Capito Says She's Open To Ideas To Prevent More Gun Massacres

In the wake of the massacre at an elementary school in Texas this week, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are discussing but not committing to a response.

U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito says she’s keeping an open mind on legislation that could help curb mass shootings.

In the wake of the massacre at an elementary school in Texas this week, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are discussing but not committing to a response.

Capito, who has an A rating from the National Rifle Association, says she’s been talking with her Senate colleagues, including Democrat Joe Manchin.

In 2013, following another massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut, Manchin and Pennsylvania Republican Pat Toomey forged a compromise bill. It was ultimately defeated.

“I don’t think that’s even a starting point, quite frankly,” Capito said. “I think that’s just one of the ideas out there.”

Capito was in the House of Representatives when the Manchin-Toomey bill failed in the Senate.

Senate Confirmation Planned For W.Va. Native To Head OSHA

A confirmation vote is planned for Monday in the U.S. Senate that will make a West Virginia native the head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

President Joe Biden nominated Douglas Parker earlier this year to lead the federal agency in charge of keeping workers safe on the job. Last week, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin joined the majority of the Senate in voting to close debate on Parker’s nomination to lead OSHA.

“Today I voted for fellow West Virginian, Doug Parker of Bluefield, to lead the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA),” Manchin said in a statement. “Mr. Parker is a dedicated public servant who has extensive experience fighting for better, safer workplaces at OSHA, MSHA, and UMWA. His experience uniquely qualifies him to lead OSHA in fighting for the safety of our hard-working fellow Americans. I am proud to vote for a fellow West Virginian to serve the American people and look forward to working with Mr. Parker to ensure safe workplaces for all West Virginians and Americans.”

Manchin cited Parker’s experience with California’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Parker also served in the Mine Safety and Health Administration under President Barack Obama. Before that, Parker was an attorney for the United Mine Workers of America.

Parker currently lives in San Francisco, California, but he was born in Bluefield, West Virginia and his official nomination identifies him as a West Virginian.

U.S. Sen. Capito is Running for Reelection

U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito is running for reelection.

The West Virginia Republican announced the 2020 bid Thursday in a radio interview and on social media.

A Facebook video accompanying the announcement touted her accomplishments and her good relationship with President Donald Trump. She says she’s running “to protect our West Virginia values of faith, family and freedom.”

Capito served seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives before being elected as a U.S. senator in 2014.

She became West Virginia’s first female in the Senate and its first Republican senator in about 55 years when she won her seat.

Her father, Arch A. Moore Jr., spent 12 years and three terms as the governor of West Virginia in the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.