Dem
51
GOP
49
Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) is confounding the Democrats once again. He blocked much of Joe Biden's legislative agenda, presumably to make him more palatable to the West Virginia voters, so he could get re-elected. Then he announced that he is not running for re-election. If he planned to retire from the beginning, he could have demanded 100 tons of pork for his state, gotten it, and then retired in a blaze of glory. He could have ensured that every town of over 10,000 people in West Virginia had a Joe Manchin sports center, a Joe Manchin senior center, a Joe Manchin post office, a Joe Manchin junior high school, and a Joe Manchin veterans clinic. He would be the most famous person in West Virginia history since the guy who discovered that coal burns. All he had to do was ask, but he didn't.
Now he has left the Democratic Party and registered as an independent. This could allow him to run for the Senate or governor as an independent. The filing deadlines are in a few weeks. He could go for either office—or simply retire from politics at 76. He likes to keep people guessing, but beating Gov. Jim Justice (R-WV) for the Senate would be very tough. On the other hand, no unbeatable candidate has filed for governor, so Manchin could win that job, which he once held. The Republican gubernatorial nomination went to AG Patrick Morrisey, but he is no electoral powerhouse. Manchin beat him for the Senate in the 2018 general election and could presumably beat him again for governor. But will he even run? Manchin is a bit of an enigma. What does he actually want? (V)