Democrat-defector Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., said he won’t endorse Vice President Harris in the presidential election after she revealed her support for doing away with the filibuster to pass abortion laws.
Harris, a former senator herself, told Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) on Tuesday, “I think we should eliminate the filibuster for Roe.”
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Manchin told Fox News, “I’m not endorsing her,” stressing the importance of the legislative threshold.
“I’ve been very, very, very clear on how strongly I believe that when you go down that slippery path, you don’t just do it for one issue,” he explained.
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Manchin has devoted his last several years to protecting the filibuster, which prevents most measures from proceeding to a vote if they cannot clear a procedural hurdle with 60 votes. He has previously described it as crucial to democracy and said if Democrats successfully did away with it, it would be “the saddest day in the history of the United States of America.”
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The West Virginia senator and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., both of whom decided not to seek re-election, were largely credited with preventing Democrats from taking down the filibuster with their slim majority in 2021. Both senators subsequently left the Democrat Party and registered as independents, despite still caucusing with Democrats in the Senate.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Manchin said, “This threshold stabilizes our democracy, promotes bipartisan cooperation and protects our nation from partisan whiplash and dysfunction. I have always said: ‘if you can’t change your mind, you can’t change anything’ and I am hopeful that the Vice President remains open to doing just that.”
Manchin further specified to Fox News that he wouldn’t be backing former President Trump in the election either. “I’m not endorsing anyone,” he said.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., avoided getting involved during the Democrat leadership press conference, telling reporters “it’s something our caucus will discuss in the next session of congress.”
