Ex-Dem Joe Manchin is back, here's what his new independent leadership council is all about
WASHINGTON, DC: Former Sen Joe Manchin is reentering national politics with the launch of the Independent Leadership Council (ILC), a new effort to recruit and support independent candidates for Congress.
The former West Virginia Senator had dropped his democratic affiliation even before retirement, and his back in the picture to help like-minded people excel in Washington.
Joe Manchin challenges two-party politics with ILC
The ex-Democrat, who registered as an Independent and left the Democratic Party to “stay true to myself and remain committed to put country before party,” has launched the ILC to support Independent candidates who are eyeing to run for Congress.
What the ILC intends to do: Manchin, with his daughter Heather, launched the Campaign on Thursday, July 23, to recruit and support independent candidates such as California Representative Kevin Kiley, a former Republican.
"We're not trying to start another party," Joe Manchin told CNN as the campaign aims to raise millions of dollars to fund independent candidates. “Not a third party, but a movement of people that will bring our country and the people who are participating in politics today more towards the center.”
"It doesn't take too many to say, 'C'mon, people, get your act together,'" he told the outlet. "They can bring them to their knees and make people understand, 'This is crazy.'"
Who's involved so far: The ILC involves several key political figures at its organization and candidacy levels. Joe Manchin, his daughter Heather Manchin, former FreedomWorks President Adam Brandon, and former Forbes Media Chief Impact Officer Seth Cohen are handling the leadership responsibilities.
Kevin Kiley, Michael Bridgford, and Seth Bodnar are associated with the campaign as independent candidates. The group is also considering races in Alaska and Washington.
Why Joe Manchin left the Democratic Party
Former West Virginia Senator left the Democratic Party after spending nearly a decade in the party before his retirement.
“To stay true to myself and remain committed to put country before party, I have decided to register as an independent with no party affiliation and continue to fight for America’s sensible majority,” Manchin had said in a statement after leaving the party.
Former Senator Joe Manchin criticized the Democratic Party's shift toward the left, specifically pointing to primary wins by candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“When they have closed primaries, what they were able to do is hijack the system,” Manchin told CNN. “They’ve been able to outperform in a closed system.”
Americans see both parties negatively
This move comes amid growing discontent with both major political parties, as a Gallup poll released earlier this year indicates that a record 45% of American adults now identify as political independents.
Many Americans view both major political parties negatively, with data from sources like the Pew Research Center showing that a significant share of the public holds an unfavorable opinion of both the Republican and Democratic parties and wishes for more political choices.
Rob Portman unsure of Joe Manchin's political leanings
Last month, he joined a panel discussion on the national debt at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, where the moderator was one of his former colleagues, Republican Rob Portman of Ohio.
“Manchin is sometimes a Democrat, sometimes an independent, sometimes a Republican,” Portman said at one point. “I just don’t know quite where he is today.”
“I don’t either,” Manchin quipped.
Manchin also talked about Senator John Fetterman, who often signals that he is on the verge of breaking with his party.
Manchin said the Pennsylvania senator “needs to do what John’s comfortable doing.” But he suggested Fetterman, a onetime critic of Manchin, was from a different political mold.
“He’s for all the hardcore Democrat issues that I wasn’t for,” Manchin added.
Heather Manchin says ILC is pilot project
“Our hope is that this is kind of our pilot experiment, trying to prove it can be done,” Heather Manchin, a former pharmaceutical executive, said, “and then I think Katie bar the door if it can be done.”
“America was founded on the belief that freedom and competition make us stronger. Somewhere along the way, our politics lost sight of those principles,” the ILC website reads.
“Decades of partisanship carved a divide most Americans never wanted. Instead of choosing sides, we’re changing the game by charting a new path that gives leaders the freedom to serve people, not parties,” it added.
