Joe Manchin

Joe Manchin
Official portrait, 2017
Joe Manchin
Born	Joseph Anthony Manchin III 24 8, 1947
Birthplace	Farmington, West Virginia, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, businessman
Known for	U.S. Senator from West Virginia (2010–2025), 34th Governor of West Virginia (2005–2010)
Education	West Virginia University (B.A.)

Joseph Anthony Manchin III (born August 24, 1947) is an American businessman and politician who served as a United States senator from West Virginia from 2010 to 2025. A figure who built his political identity around centrism in an era of increasing partisan polarization, Manchin served in several prominent roles in West Virginia politics before reaching the U.S. Senate, including as the state's 27th secretary of state (2001–2005) and its 34th governor (2005–2010). Before entering public life, he co-founded Enersystems, a family-owned coal brokerage company. Throughout his Senate tenure, Manchin described himself as a "centrist, moderate, conservative Democrat" and consistently represented the most Republican-leaning constituency of any Democrat or independent in Congress. After the 2020 elections produced a 50–50 Senate, Manchin became one of the most consequential swing votes in modern congressional history. He announced in November 2023 that he would not seek reelection and subsequently left the Democratic Party to register as an independent in 2024. In September 2025, Manchin published a memoir titled Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense, reflecting on his career and advocating for bipartisan governance.

Early Life

Joseph Anthony Manchin III was born on August 24, 1947, in Farmington, a small coal-mining community in Marion County, West Virginia. He was raised in a politically active Italian-American family with deep roots in West Virginia's coalfields. His grandfather, Joseph Manchin, was an Italian immigrant who settled in the state's northern panhandle region, and the family became involved in local business and civic affairs over several generations.

Manchin grew up in a community where coal mining was the dominant industry and economic lifeblood. The culture and economy of Farmington and the surrounding area profoundly shaped his political outlook, particularly his longstanding support for the coal industry and his skepticism toward environmental regulations that he viewed as threatening to West Virginia's energy sector. The 1968 Farmington Mine disaster, which killed 78 miners in his hometown when he was a young man, was a formative event for the community and left a lasting impression on Manchin's understanding of the challenges facing working-class families in Appalachia.

Before entering politics, Manchin pursued a career in the private sector connected to the coal industry. He co-founded Enersystems, a coal brokerage company that operated as a family business. Manchin served as president of the company, which bought and sold coal on behalf of various clients. His involvement in the coal business gave him firsthand knowledge of the energy industry and established the financial foundation for his later political career.

Education

Manchin attended Farmington High School, where he was a standout football player. He earned a football scholarship to attend West Virginia University in Morgantown, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration. His time at West Virginia University connected him to a wide network of state residents and political figures, relationships that would prove instrumental throughout his subsequent career in West Virginia politics.

Career

Early Political Career

Manchin began his career in state government in the West Virginia Legislature, where he served in both chambers. He was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates and later to the West Virginia Senate, gaining experience in legislative politics and building a statewide profile over several terms. During his time in the legislature, Manchin focused on issues related to economic development, the coal industry, and education in West Virginia.

Secretary of State (2001–2005)

In 2000, Manchin was elected as the 27th Secretary of State of West Virginia, taking office in January 2001. In this role, he oversaw the state's elections, business registrations, and various administrative functions. The position gave Manchin statewide visibility and a platform from which to launch a campaign for the governorship.

Governor of West Virginia (2005–2010)

Manchin won the 2004 West Virginia gubernatorial election by a large margin, becoming the state's 34th governor in January 2005. As governor, he prioritized economic development, education reform, and the state's relationship with the energy industry. His tenure was marked by efforts to diversify West Virginia's economy while maintaining support for the coal sector, which remained central to the state's employment and revenue base.

Manchin's popularity as governor remained high throughout his time in office. He was reelected in 2008 by an even larger margin than his initial victory, reflecting broad bipartisan support among West Virginia voters. His administration oversaw infrastructure improvements and worked to address the state's persistent challenges with poverty, health outcomes, and educational attainment. Manchin cultivated an image as a pragmatic, business-friendly Democrat who prioritized the specific needs of his state over national party platforms.

During his governorship, Manchin also navigated the complex politics of coal and energy in West Virginia, frequently advocating for the coal industry at the state and national levels. He positioned himself as a defender of coal miners' livelihoods while acknowledging the need for environmental stewardship, a balancing act that would become even more prominent during his Senate career.

U.S. Senate

2010 Special Election

In June 2010, longtime West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd, then the longest-serving member of the U.S. Senate, died in office. Governor Manchin appointed Carte Goodwin as a temporary replacement and then ran in the November 2010 special election to fill the remainder of Byrd's term. Manchin won the special election with 53.5% of the vote, a notable margin in what was a strong year for Republican candidates nationally. He took office on November 15, 2010, succeeding Goodwin.

Reelection Campaigns

In 2012, Manchin was elected to a full six-year Senate term, receiving 60.6% of the vote — a commanding margin that demonstrated his personal popularity in the state even as West Virginia was trending sharply toward the Republican Party in national elections. By 2018, the political landscape in West Virginia had shifted further rightward. President Donald Trump had won the state by 42 percentage points in 2016, making it one of the most Republican states in the country. Despite this environment, Manchin won a second full term in 2018 with 49.6% of the vote, drastically outperforming Democratic presidential nominees in the state.

From 2015 onward, Manchin was West Virginia's only congressional Democrat, a distinction that underscored both his personal electoral strength and the broader decline of the Democratic Party in the state. In all of his Senate elections, he significantly outperformed the Democratic presidential nominees in West Virginia, sometimes by margins of 30 or more percentage points.

Legislative Record and Key Votes

Throughout his Senate tenure, Manchin compiled a legislative record that defied easy categorization along partisan lines. He described himself as a "centrist, moderate, conservative Democrat" and was consistently ranked as the most conservative member of the Senate Democratic caucus by various ideological scoring systems.

On energy and environmental policy, Manchin was a staunch advocate for the coal and fossil fuel industries. He opposed President Barack Obama's energy policies, including regulations and restrictions on coal mining, and consistently argued that federal environmental regulations posed an existential threat to West Virginia's economy. His position on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee — where he served as ranking member from 2019 to 2021 and as chairman from 2021 to 2025 — gave him a powerful platform to influence national energy legislation.

On social issues, Manchin often broke with the Democratic caucus. He voted against cloture for the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 (though he did not vote on the bill itself) and expressed reservations about various progressive social policy proposals. He supported President Trump's border wall and immigration policies and voted to confirm most of Trump's cabinet and judicial appointees, including Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.

At the same time, Manchin voted against repeated Republican attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, a position that placed him in alignment with the Democratic caucus on one of the most high-profile legislative battles of the era. He voted against the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, the signature tax reform legislation of the Trump administration. He voted to convict Trump in both of his impeachment trials — in 2020 and 2021. He opposed the confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court in 2020, while voting to confirm Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson in 2022.

On foreign policy, Manchin was among the more non-interventionist members of the Democratic caucus. He repeatedly called for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan and opposed most military interventions in Syria.

The 50–50 Senate and Key Swing Vote

After the 2020 elections and the January 2021 Georgia runoff elections, the U.S. Senate was split 50–50 between Democrats and Republicans. Democrats controlled the chamber because Vice President Kamala Harris served as the tiebreaking vote. This arithmetic meant that passing any legislation with only Democratic support required every member of the Democratic caucus, including Manchin, to vote in favor. As a result, Manchin became one of the most powerful individual members of the Senate during the 117th Congress (2021–2023).

Manchin used this leverage to shape, delay, or block major legislative proposals from President Joe Biden's agenda. He opposed Biden's Freedom to Vote Act, a sweeping election reform bill, and was instrumental in blocking the Build Back Better Act, a multitrillion-dollar social spending and climate package that represented the centerpiece of Biden's domestic policy agenda. Manchin's opposition to the Build Back Better Act drew intense criticism from progressive Democrats and liberal advocacy groups, who argued he was obstructing transformative legislation, while conservatives and some moderates praised his fiscal restraint.

Manchin did, however, play a pivotal role in negotiating and sponsoring the Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed into law in August 2022. The legislation, which focused on climate and energy investments, deficit reduction, and prescription drug pricing, represented a scaled-down version of the Build Back Better Act and bore Manchin's imprint in its emphasis on energy production alongside clean energy incentives.

During the 118th Congress (2023–2025), Manchin continued to serve as a key swing vote, alongside Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who had also left the Democratic Party to become an independent.

Departure from the Democratic Party

On November 9, 2023, Manchin announced that he would not seek reelection to the Senate in 2024. His decision was seen as reflecting the increasingly difficult electoral math for any Democrat in West Virginia, where Republican presidential candidates had been winning by overwhelming margins. In 2024, Manchin left the Democratic Party and registered as an independent, completing a political transition that had been underway for years as he distanced himself from the national Democratic brand.

Manchin's Senate seat was subsequently won by Republican Jim Justice, the former governor of West Virginia, in the November 2024 election. Justice succeeded Manchin when his term ended on January 3, 2025.

Post-Senate Career

Following his departure from the Senate, Manchin remained active in public discourse. In September 2025, he published a memoir titled Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense, in which he reflected on his Senate career and his most controversial decisions, including his opposition to major Democratic legislative priorities during the Biden administration. The book's publication was accompanied by a media tour, including appearances at the Commonwealth Club of California and the National Press Club.

In interviews promoting the book, Manchin was critical of the direction of the national Democratic Party, stating that "Democrats have lost their way," and expressed a desire for bipartisan cooperation, saying he wanted President Trump to succeed in his second term. He also became an advocate for open primary elections, expressing frustration after the Republican Party of West Virginia chose to keep its primary elections closed to party members only, a decision that excluded independent voters like himself.

Personal Life

Joe Manchin has been a lifelong resident of West Virginia. He and his wife, Gayle Manchin (née Conelly), have been married since 1967. The couple raised their family in the state, and Gayle Manchin has been active in public service in her own right, serving in various educational and governmental roles in West Virginia and at the federal level.

Manchin has maintained close ties to the coal and energy industries throughout his political career. His connection to Enersystems, the family coal brokerage company he co-founded, has been a recurring subject of public discussion, with critics pointing to potential conflicts of interest given his legislative role on energy policy and supporters noting that his industry background informed his understanding of energy issues.

An avid outdoorsman, Manchin has frequently spoken about his love of hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities in West Virginia's mountains and rivers. He has used his houseboat on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., as an informal gathering place for bipartisan socializing with fellow senators, a practice that drew media attention as an example of his efforts to build cross-party relationships.

Legacy

Joe Manchin's political career spanned a period of profound transformation in West Virginia and American politics. He was the last Democrat to hold statewide office in West Virginia during an era in which the state transitioned from a reliably Democratic stronghold — rooted in its coal-mining, union heritage — to one of the most Republican states in the nation. His ability to win elections in an increasingly hostile political environment for Democrats was attributed to his personal brand, deep family roots in the state, and willingness to break with his party on high-profile issues.

During the 117th Congress, Manchin's role as the decisive vote in a 50–50 Senate gave him an outsized influence on American domestic policy. His decisions to support or oppose specific legislation had direct and measurable consequences for the trajectory of the Biden administration's agenda. The Inflation Reduction Act, which he helped negotiate, represented one of the largest climate and energy investments in American history, while his opposition to the Build Back Better Act and the Freedom to Vote Act blocked two of the Democratic Party's other major legislative priorities.

Manchin's departure from the Democratic Party in 2024 and his subsequent advocacy for centrism and open primaries reflected broader tensions within American politics between partisan activists and voters who identify as moderate or independent. In his memoir Dead Center, Manchin articulated a vision of governance rooted in compromise and pragmatism, arguing that political leaders should prioritize finding common ground over ideological purity.

His Senate career remains a subject of debate. Supporters credit him with preserving the Democratic majority in the Senate during a critical period and with shaping legislation to be more fiscally responsible and energy-balanced. Critics from the left argue that he used his leverage to weaken or block progressive policies that had broad public support, while some on the right viewed him as an opportunist who adapted his positions to electoral necessity. Regardless of perspective, Manchin's tenure illustrated the influence that a single senator can wield in a closely divided legislative body.