Manchin mum on whether Democrats should hold Congress after midterms

by Julia Mueller - 07/31/22 9:39 AM ET

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Sunday sidestepped questions about whether he hopes his party retains control of Congress after this year’s midterm elections.

“I think the Democrats have great candidates that are running. They’re good people I’ve worked with. And I have a tremendous amount of respect and friendship with my Republican colleagues,” Manchin told moderator Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“So I can work on either side very easily.”

The centrist senator otherwise declined to comment on any hopes he has for the midterms.

“I don’t play the politics that way. I don’t like it that way. That’s not who I am.”

Manchin has often bucked his party in key votes of the current 50-50 Senate, dooming President Biden’s Build Back Better infrastructure bill over his inflation fears and becoming the sole Democratic vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Last week, however, he brokered an unexpected deal with Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 — a bill Biden has also backed.

“I can’t decide what’s going to happen in Kansas or California or Texas. I really can’t. I’ve always taken the approach: whoever you send me, that’s your representative and I respect them. And I respect the state for the people they send, and I give it my best to work with them, to do the best for my country,” Manchin said Sunday.