Posted on 12/01/2016 12:44:37 PM PST by SeekAndFind
President-elect Donald Trump's transition team is considering Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia for the energy secretary job, according to three sources close to the discussions.
The conservative Democrat “is being considered to show the coal people how serious Trump is about coal,” one source said.
Manchin told POLITICO Thursday afternoon that he and his staff haven’t been contacted by Trump’s transition team and he didn't have any trips to New York City on his calendar. But Manchin, who is up for reelection in 2018 in a state that has become increasingly more Republican over the past decade, also didn’t dismiss the notion of taking DOE’s top job in the Trump administration.
“If I can do anything that would help my state of West Virginia, and my country, I would be happy to talk to anybody,” he told POLITICO. “Other than that, I haven’t heard anything ... I have nothing scheduled.”
Just last month, Manchin was named the vice chair of the Senate Democratic Policy and Communications Committee.
Earlier Thursday the Trump transition announced that North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, another Democrat, would be making a trip to Trump Tower Friday.
Isn’t Manchin’s lovely daughter the CEO of the company that makes the absurdly expensive medical injection — EpiPen?
That’s not what I am hearing back home regarding Manchin. His career is taking in water!
Not until the seat is up for reelection as I understand it. Since Senate terms are six years I’m not sure when Manchin’s seat is up.
What are all the States that have a GOP governor and any Dem US Senators? We need an ambassador to Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Brunei, Monaco, and a bunch of other places in the world & I have a bipartisan idea on staffing these positions.
Spot on. He’s trash. I really don’t see Trump choosing him. This was probably floated by Manchin supporters.
Thanks, that’s what I figured, but before I mouthed off I wanted to be certain.
Heitkamp is just as secure with her Senate job as cheap labor express RINO Hoeven is. Hoeven won by a substantial margin, I think Heitkamp would too.
She’s good at ND local politics, just like McCain is good at local politics in AZ.
And ND voters have this crazy idea about balance, or at least they did for several decades, in that we need a Dem in there someplace, and she’s the only one ND has now.
But you never know, the dem party is fading fast. Once their temper tantrum over the election soaks in, I really think in 18 there will be many, many losses. Especially if Trump does really good at Making America Great Again.
I really think the safe bet is to give her a job so she resigns. It’s really a win win for her if her party craps out altogether.
Yes, but the name of the company isn’t Epipen.
What’s the chances he gets defeated the next time out?
Republican Berg lost by less than a percentage point the last time. Hopefully she will lose in ‘18. But I don’t live in ND, so I have no idea what will happen.
Won’t happen. The replacement senator would be appointed by the new incoming governor to serve the remaining term which is two years and the possibilit6y of reelection. Manchin will not be reelected in 2018.
IMO Rick Berg was good, really good, had lots to offer. But, Heitkamp has name recognition. She’s been in the public eye for decades. On the other hand she has only a 50% approval rating.
If given the energy job, I think she’d be mediocre to fairly good as I think she’s low energy.
Seems like the good senator’s daughter has been in the spot light lately...
It's a way to elegantly change party affiliation without the stigma of "backstabbing" his party, while being in a real position to help WV. Thought those were pretty obvious.
Good catch.
Don’t forget. On Dec 10, the Louisiana runoff will give us another Republican senator.
Only if Republicans in LA don’t take the race for granted and go to the polls to vote!
Nailed it.
Why bother to change parties if all he's going to get is a minor cabinet position? His career in elective office is over.
It’s the mindset............Haley to the UN because Trump really wants to help the lt. governor as if Haley would go along with being marginalized. Munchkin for Treasury because he’s going to kill Freddie/Fannie which will be a huge effort given the amount of ABS and MBS on the books thanks to Obama (zero mention of GS or Soros or being a big Dem donor by the way.......GS now is an awesome bank). Bolton is a jerk, Levin is an idiot, Rush is old news.
So a Dem governor will appoint a Repblican because Trump is great at the art of the deal.
BTW - I voted for Trump.
Yeh uh no!
’18.
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