As 2024 nears, a decision by West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin not to run for reelection “makes it tougher” for Democrats to hold onto control of the Senate, Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey said Friday.
“It’s a tough state in a tough year,” Casey said about West Virginia, where now-former President Donald Trump beat then-candidate Joe Biden by nearly 40 points in 2020.
Manchin’s foundation of support in West Virginia – where he previously served as governor - gave him an advantage that a new candidate would not have, Casey said.
Casey, a Democrat who is running for reelection in Pennsylvania next year, said he will miss working with Manchin and that Manchin played a major role in the Inflation Reduction Act and the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
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Manchin, a Democrat, announced Thursday that he will not run for reelection. He said that he would be “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.” That has fueled talk about Manchin’s future and whether he might run for president, potentially as an independent or under the No Labels banner.
Asked what he would say to Manchin if he considered running for President, Casey said he didn’t want to speculate but had this to say.
“Joe said he wants to talk to people in the middle like he did as a U.S. Senator and that’s good, because he’s shown the ability to bring people together in the Senate and if he can do that across the country in terms of what we’re working on in the next year or beyond if he wants to do that,” Casey told NBC10. “But I think it would be best for everyone in the country if we have a Republican candidate and a Democratic candidate and let the people decide.”
