This story is being regularly updated as more statements are made.
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin (D) announced on Thursday that he will not seek re-election in 2024, and people across the state and the country are giving their reactions.
Fellow West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito thanked Manchin and his wife on social media for their years of service to West Virginia.
Thank you Joe and Gayle for your years of service to our beloved West Virginia. I’ve enjoyed serving alongside you— our senior senator. And as you said, we still have much work ahead of us.
Thank you for your friendship, Joe. I look forward to that continuing.
X post from Sen. Shelley Moore Capito
Governor Jim Justice, who is running as a Republican candidate for Manchin’s current Senate seat released the following statement.
Senator Joe Manchin and I have not always agreed on policy and politics, but we’re both lifelong West Virginians who love this state beyond belief, and I respect and thank him for his many years of public service.
Gov. Jim Justice
Former President Donald Trump, who has indorsed Gov. Justice for Manchin’s Senate seat, made the following comment on his Truth Social account Thursday afternoon.
Because I Endorsed Big Jim Justice of West Virginia for the U.S. Senate, and he has taken a commanding lead, Democrat Joe Manchin has decided not to seek re-election. Looking good for Big Jim!
@realDonaldTrump on Truth Social
Without another front-running Democratic candidate, the seat is likely to switch to Republican in 2024 as West Virginia almost always votes red. The Chairman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Steve Daines released the following statement to the media.
“We like our odds in West Virginia.”
NRSC Chairman Daines Statement on Manchin Retirement
West Virginia governor candidate Mac Warner (R) released the following statement Friday.
Senator Joe Manchin used to represent centrist policies within the Democrat Party. It is sad that era of the Democrat Party no longer exists. The Democrat party has been taken over by extremists, and the extreme progressives are certainly out of touch with West Virginia values and West Virginia voters.
West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner
Though we often disagreed on policies, Joe Manchin is a family friend and we join many West Virginians in thanking him for his decades of service to the good citizens of the Mountain State. We wish him well.
One the state side, the West Virginia Democratic Party Chair Mike Pushkin thanked Manchin for his years of service.
For forty-one years, beginning with his election to the House of Delegates in 1982, Joe Manchin’s name has been synonymous with West Virginia politics and government.
In addition to the House of Delegates, Manchin served in the State Senate, as Secretary of State, and as West Virginia’s Governor before being elected to the US Senate in 2020.
On behalf of the West Virginia Democratic Part, we would like to thank Joe Manchin for all his years of service to West Virginia and to the nation. Like Senators Randolph, Byrd and Rockefeller, Joe Manchin was a larger than life figure in the United States Senate.
In the coming months, we will engage in a robust process to identify and support a candidate who truly represents the values of West Virginia. The West Virginia Democratic Party will work tirelessly to support and elect a Senator who shows up for work, pays his debt, and brings more to the US Senate than a cute dog.
West Virginia Democratic Party Chair Mike Pushkin
State Senator Mike Caputo (D-Marion County) released the following statement about fellow Marion County native Joe Manchin.
First, I’d like to thank Senator Manchin for his years of service to state of West Virginia. I wish him and Gayle all the best in whatever the future may bring to them and their family.
I’ve had the honor and privilege of serving with Senator Manchin my entire political career—from his time as Secretary of State, through both of his gubernatorial terms, and while serving in the United States Senate. The Senator and I have agreed on many things, such as his leadership in the fight for our government to keep the promise of lifetime healthcare and pensions for coal miners. However, as happens in politics, we had disagreements as well. When that happened, we always disagreed with respect and civility. I will always respect him for the example he has set for his colleagues of how to discuss points of difference and overlap so that we can find some middle ground. Our country and our state need more of those discussions.
I hope Senator Manchin’s decision will allow him some more time with his family and enjoy some time at home in Marion County. I’ll remain proud to represent his neighborhood in the State Senate!
WV Sen. Mike Caputo
Zachary Shrewsbury, the only remaining democratic candidate running for U.S. Senate in West Virginia, released this statement Thursday.
I am now the Democratic candidate for the United States Senate from West Virginia. I am cut fromthe same cloth as Mountaineers. I am in this race to fight for the working people of our state and my resolve to give you true representation in Washington is unbeatable. For too long, the people of West Virginia have been sold out to the highest bidder but that stops today. Take a stand with our campaign and fight for a new and thriving Mountain State.
Zachary Shrewsbury
Manchin has not announced whether he will run for a different office, but said in his statement Thursday that he will be “traveling the country and speaking out to see if there is an interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle and bring Americans together.”
