Manchin calls for more independents in Congress: ‘People want a little bit more normalcy’

Former Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) — a former Democrat known for his staunch centrism — is continuing his push to bring more independents into Congress, now arguing that breaking away from the two-party system helped him better collaborate with fellow senators.

In a New York Times interview published Wednesday, Manchin was asked about why he believes independent candidates may have a shot at Congress at the moment, to which he replied that he is “living proof that one vote makes a difference” in the upper chamber.

“We were able to get some things done in the 117th Congress that we haven’t done since, or didn’t do a whole lot before,” Manchin told the Times. “So it showed when they knew that I wasn’t going to go crazy and go far left or far right, they said, ‘Maybe we can work something out’ — and that’s how we got things done.”

“That gave me the impetus, saying, ‘Hey, this could work if you have enough people that are willing to say, ‘Listen, I like you both, but I don’t agree with both of you, and I’ll work with you if you become rational and sensible.’ People want a little bit more normalcy,” he added.

Manchin’s interview was published one month after he announced a new organization seeking to recruit and elect independent candidates to Congress, the Independent Leadership Council (ILC). The former senator clarified the ILC plans to raise campaign funds for current independent candidates, though he has not yet made any endorsements.

In May 2024, Manchin filed as an independent after decades as a Democrat, a move he made shortly before retiring from the Senate altogether. At the time, the former senator said his “commitment to do everything I can to bring our country together has led me to register as an independent with no party affiliation.”

Earlier this month , Manchin pushed for a change in American elections, advocating for more competition. He pointed to the 2024 election, stating that “all we ever heard reported about was the seven battleground states.”

“Forty-three were predetermined. Four hundred and thirty-five congressional districts in the United States of America, 395 are predetermined, already predetermined. Something’s wrong. There’s no competition,” he said at the time.

The former senator said the ILC will “hone in” on candidates around mid-September — expressing interest in races in Montana, Alaska, California, Illinois and Iowa.

One of the more notable midterm races this year features independent Dan Osborn, a veteran and mechanic, who is facing off against incumbent Sen. Pete Ricketts (R) in a battle to represent Nebraska in the Senate. The independent came close to taking down Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) in 2024.

Currently, there is one independent in the House of Representatives and two in the Senate.

“If we can punch through the party veil, the party dam, then it really, really swarms in to give this momentum and have leaders and great people,” Manchin told the Times.

Manchin added that, if ILC-backed candidates have success in November’s midterms, it would “really open the door” for other independents that may be interested in running for president in 2028. An independent has not held the nation’s highest office since George Washington, who famously rejected partisan politics.