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The WV Democrat Party has been in a state of collapse over the last several cycles. Although Manchin is their last remaining officeholder at the federal level, he’s not as wedded to them as one might think - at least on rhetoric.

He’s “judged” as one of the most “conservative” Democrats in the Senate, though that title is dubious, since there aren’t any “Conservative Democrats” left in the Senate. The last one was Zell Miller. Manchin is well to the left of the late Miller.

The ACU grades him as having a lifetime Conservative rating of 25% (which still places him in the most left-wing quadrant). He scored just outside that in 2016 with a 27%, but fell to an 8% in 2017 (and that terrible number still made him the most “conservative” member of the Senate Democrats, showing how ultraleft the party has become).

Some FReepers, not quite aware of his actual voting record, tend to think of him as voting right more than half the time, which isn’t remotely so. WV Democrats think he is too right-wing, which is a joke. I view him more like Joe Lieberman, who claimed to be “moderate”, but other than for maybe one issue (Israel), he was on the ultraleft and usually scored a perfect 100% leftist rating from the ACU. There’s a notorious photo from two events around here taken around the same time showing Manchin supporting both the pro-life cause and Planned Barrenhood, showing an astonishing amount of shamelessness on his part.

Given his erratic behavior since Trump’s ascension, I got the distinct impression he either didn’t care about running again or didn’t care if he lost. He might’ve tried to switch parties last year, but he knows there’s no way he could win a primary as a Republican with his record. I think he may lose this year against the Attorney General of WV, Morrisey, and he should, though has incredibly managed to remain competitive despite polls showing more than half the likely voters wanting him replaced.

If he is reelected, depending upon the margin in the Senate, if Republicans increase their presence as expected, Manchin might very well switch to the GOP after the election (since he wouldn’t have to face the voters again until 2024); or he might continue to be the erratic Democrat he is now, or he might discard trying to play nice with Trump and use the next term being a moonbat. Only Joe Manchin knows which course he intends to take.