Asked if he's a Democrat, Manchin deflects

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) deflected answering a question about whether he still identifies as a Democrat as questions mount over his political future.

“I identify as an American,” Manchin said when asked if he was still a Democrat on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures.” “I’m an American through and through.”

Manchin, whose Senate term is up in 2024, has remained noncommittal about his plans to run for reelection as well as whether a White House bid is in his sights.

He has ruled out running for governor in West Virginia, a position he held in the past, and said recently that he was not planning on running for president “today.” But the proclamations have provided little clarity about his plans in the Senate, where he holds a crucial Democratic seat.

“My main concern is how do we bring this country together?” Manchin said. “How do we make it work? How do we make Democrats, Republicans become Americans again, and not just party affiliates?”

Manchin’s potential reelection bid falls in an election cycle that looks challenging for Senate Democrats. A potential loss of Manchin’s seat would be paired with challenging elections in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona and Montana, among other opportunities for the party to lose seats.

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