Joe Manchin 'thinking seriously' about leaving the Democratic Party: report

United States Senator Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) told radio host Hoppy Kercheval on Thursday that he is considering leaving the Democratic Party, lamenting the "extremes" that he believes have developed inside each political camp. Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-Arizona) shared similar concerns when she switched to Independent in December 2022.

"I want to be able to speak honestly about, basically, the extremes of the Democrat and Republican Party that is harming our nation," Manchin said, per NBC News' Julie Tsirkin.

"I'm thinking seriously what's best for me, I have to have peace of mind basically," Manchin added. "I've been thinking about that for quite some time."

Per Axios' Andrew Solender, Manchin complained that "the brand has become so bad. The D brand and R brand ... You've heard me say a million times, I am not a Washington Democrat."

Manchin is also rumored to be contemplating a presidential run in 2024 under No Labels, although he has made no formal announcement. Nonetheless, Tsirkin noted that Manchin touted the passage of President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act as an example of his willingness to do what he views as "the right thing" despite being politically unpopular among conservative voters.

"This bill that I wrote was done about energy security, truly producing more gas, more oil, more coal than we have in the past consistently. And we're doing that today," Manchin said.

"It wasn't smart to do what I did if I'm doing strictly about politics,” Manchin continued. "I wouldn't want to work for a senator or anyone representing me in West Virginia if it was all about my politics and not about what's good for the country."