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Like Sinema, Manchin registered as an independent. The
76-year-old West Virginia lawmaker's move will have no practical
effect as he, like his Arizona colleague, will continue to
caucus with Democrats, who hold a slim 51-49 majority in the
Senate. Republicans, however, are seen as all but certain to win
his seat in the Nov. 5 election.
"Our national politics are broken and neither party is willing
to compromise to find common ground," Manchin said in a
statement, adding that both parties had embraced "partisan
extremism" and were putting democracy in jeopardy.
Manchin and Sinema were key votes on multiple pieces of
legislation early in Democratic President Joe Biden's
administration, including a massive infrastructure bill.
But he has also forced some sweeping legislation to be scaled
back and, along with Sinema, stood in the way of plans to reform
or scrap the filibuster, a procedural tool that requires 60
votes to advance most legislation in the chamber.
Manchin, a former state legislator and governor who arrived in
the Senate in November 2010, announced last year that he would
not seek reelection in November. He has been the subject of
speculation that he would seek another political office.
Sinema has also said she will leave the Senate after serving one
six-year term.
Republicans have a strong chance of capturing a Senate majority
in November, as Democrats are defending more than a half-dozen
competitive seats while the Republicans up for reelection are in
solidly Republican states.
Republican West Virginia Governor Jim Justice is expected to
easily capture Manchin's seat, according to nonpartisan
analysts.
Former President Donald Trump won the state in 2020, taking a
whopping 69% of the vote to 30% for Biden.
(Reporting by Ismail Shakil, Katharine Jackson and Makini Brice;
editing by Scott Malone, Rami Ayyub, Chizu Nomiyama and Jonathan
Oatis)
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