West Virginia's Senator Manchin Is Sometimes a Problem [View all]

[MineralMan]

However, those who are calling for him to be primaried in WV are effectively summoning up a Republican Senator in that state in 2024. Manchin is, probably, the most conservative Senator who is a Democrat. He sometimes causes problems with getting certain bills passed in the Senate. However, a Republican replacement for him would never vote with Democrats, so there it is. Manchin votes with the Senate Democratic Caucus on most bills.

Who would be his primary opponent? Someone more progressive? That would mean a certain Republican win for his seat in 2024. How would that benefit us in any way? Someone equally conservative, but nominally a Democrat? We would gain nothing from that. We already have Manchin, who has proven his ability to be elected in WV.

It is notable that those calling for a primary race against Manchin are not residents of West Virginia. They probably have never even set foot in West Virginia. They cannot vote in the 2024 election there. When asked what state they hail from, we hear crickets. Why? Because there is probably at least one Republican Senator in their own state. I'm from Minnesota, which has two progressive Democrats in the Senate. I can't vote in West Virginia, either. We have two Democratic Senators because Democrats (DFLers) have worked very hard to make that so.

My opinion is that everyone who doesn't like Manchin should work to elect Democrats to the Senate in their own state. They should work very hard. If Manchin or his primary opponent loses in WV, it will be to a Republican, certainly. No question about that. But, we have Republican Senators in purple states. We even have Republican Senators in some blue states. Why do we not work toward electing Democrats in those purple and blue states? Hell, why not work to elect Democrats in red states, for that matter? It worked in Georgia, after all.

That would be a far better solution than replacing Manchin with a Republican, it seems to me.

So, if you're advocating for a primary on the Democratic side in West Virginia, please tell us in which state you vote. Perhaps we'll have a suggestion for you that will actually increase our majority in the Senate. Please tell us. Don't tell West Virginians what they must do. Tell us what you are doing right where you live to help elect more Democrats to the Senate.

Thanks for reading.