Joe Manchin III

• Born: August 24, 1947
• Place of Birth: Farmington, West Virginia

Joseph Manchin III was elected governor of West Virginia in the 2004 elections. A resident of West Virginia his entire life, Manchin brought a background in business and community service with him to his role as governor. He was elected to the US Senate in 2010 in a special election that occurred following the death of Senator Robert Byrd. Winning again in 2012 and 2018, Manchin found himself in a position of influence in 2020 during the administration of President Joe Biden due to the fact that a perfect fifty-fifty split in the Senate (and Vice President Harris's tie breaking vote) meant that Democrats could pass legislature without Republican support. As a result, Manchin, who previously established himself as someone not committed to voting along party lines, became vitally important in a number of legislative acts during President Biden's tenure, including the Build Back Better Act of 2021 and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. After announcing in November 2023 that he would not seek re-election to the Senate, he left the Democratic Party and filed as an Independent in May 2024.

Early Life

Joseph Manchin III was born in Farmington, West Virginia, on August 24, 1947. He shared a single bedroom with his four siblings, and his free time was divided between his grandfather’s grocery store and his father’s furniture store. He earned additional income and entrepreneurial experience by selling raft rides along Buffalo Creek. At the same time, Manchin’s participation in numerous civic activities helped him build a strong connection with the surrounding community.

Education

As a child, Manchin harbored dreams of playing in the National Football League. After graduating from Farmington High School in 1965, he attended West Virginia University on a football scholarship. While in college, Manchin sustained a knee injury that erased any hopes of a professional football career. Manchin was forced to reevaluate what he would to do with his life. Motivated by a desire to improve himself and contribute financially to the well-being of his family, Manchin concentrated on his studies and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration in 1970.

Family

While at West Virginia University, Joseph Manchin met his future wife, Gayle C. Manchin. The couple moved to Fairmont, West Virginia after graduation, where they lived for the next thirty years. After college, Manchin accepted a managerial position at the family-owned Manchin’s Carpet Center and an ownership role with the natural resources company Enersystems, Inc.

Joseph and Gayle Manchin have three children, Joseph IV, Heather, and Brooke. Gayle Manchin is a former college professor, and served as director of projects for Aha! Process, Inc. She also held numerous other education-related positions, and was previously the project coordinator for West Virginia Partnerships to Assure Student Success. She also served as a director of West Virginia’s AmeriCorps Promise Fellows program, and the political liaison for the National Association of Developmental Education.

Political Career

In order to more actively pursue his political career, Manchin later passed control of Enersystems, Inc., on to his son, Joseph IV. In 1982, Manchin ran for public office in a successful campaign for a spot in the West Virginia House of Delegates. After serving one term there, Manchin was elected to the West Virginia State Senate in 1986. He maintained this position until 1996, when he ran for governor of the state but did not make it past the primaries. Manchin continued to serve as chairman for multiple banking and insurance companies.

Manchin returned to the state government when he was sworn in as West Virginia’s secretary of state in 2001. This was a position that his late uncle, a lawmaker and state treasurer, had held many years before. At the time of Manchin’s victory, only six states ranked below West Virginia in terms of voter participation. He included the reversal of this trend among his top priorities as secretary of state, a position that included the title of chief elections official. He emphasized the West Virginia SHARES program, which teaches students about the election process and encourages them to vote.

On May 31, 2003, Manchin announced his intention to pursue the office of governor of West Virginia. During his speech, he expressed his belief that West Virginia was at a crucial turning point in its history, and that the election would in fact be deciding which path the state would follow for many years to come. Throughout his gubernatorial campaign, Manchin promised to transform the state’s government into one that was worthy of the respect of its citizens. He laid out a plan for West Virginia veterans that included support of those currently stationed overseas, tax exemptions, and construction of a federally funded home for veterans. Promoting the state’s tourism industry was also made a key issue, as was the creation of smaller schools to provide more effective educational environments for students.

On November 2, 2004, amid one of the most anticipated presidential elections in United States history, Manchin was elected governor of West Virginia. Election results showed that Manchin had earned not only the support of his own Democratic party, but also that of many Republicans.

Manchin vowed to unify the state of West Virginia and inspire a grassroots effort to bring about positive changes for the state’s people. He promised to work toward creating stronger bonds between the business community and other groups such as laborers, educators, and civic leaders. Manchin noted that the bond between business and labor was absolutely vital to the well-being of the state. Citing his own business experience and the support he had earned from the business community, Manchin vowed to provide the state’s workforce with jobs that offered better pay rates and benefits. He promised that with the growth of the state’s economy would come affordable health care and improved school systems.

On January 2, 2006, an explosion at the Sago Mine in Sago, West Virginia trapped thirteen miners for over two days. Manchin confirmed initial reports that twelve of the miners had survived; later it was learned that information from rescue teams had been misunderstood, and only one of the miners had lived through the blast. Despite the disaster, Manchin remained one of the most popular governors in the United States, with an 80 percent approval from voters.

Manchin was reelected to a second term as governor in 2008. He announced in July 2010 that he would seek the senate seat of the late West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd. He won the Democratic Party primary in August 2010 and defeated Republican Party challenger John Raese in November 2010. He was succeeded as governor by Earl Ray Tomblin.

Manchin won reelection efforts in 2012 and 2018. When Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, Manchin became an influential figure in the Senate due to the fact that it was now split evenly between Democrats and Republicans, meaning that Manchin's vote was mandatory to pass Democratic legislation without Republican support. As such, Manchin, known for not always voting along party lines, faced intense scrutiny over his decisions to either support or deny proposed legislation during the tenure of President Biden, including the 2021 Build Back Better Act, which Manchin rejected, and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which Manchin supported. That same year, Manchin announced his support for Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Biden's nomination to the Supreme Court.

In November 2023, Manchin announced that he would not seek re-election in 2024. Many speculated that he would put in a bid for the 2024 presidential race as a third-party candidate. He announced in February 2024 that he would not run for president. That May, he switched his party affiliation from Democratic to Independent, though he continued to caucus with Senate Democrats for the rest of his term. Manchin, a centrist, said that he was motivated by "partisan extremism" from either end of the political spectrum. "Today, our national politics are broken and neither party is willing to compromise to find common ground," he said, as quoted by Luke Broadwater for the New York Times. "To stay true to myself and remain committed to put country before party, I have decided to register as an independent with no party affiliation and continue to fight for America's sensible majority."

Bibliography

Broadwater, Luke. "Manchin Becomes an Independent, Leaving Options Open for Another Run." The New York Times, 31 May 2024, www.nytimes.com/2024/05/31/us/politics/joe-manchin-independent.html. Accessed 21 June 2024.

Diaz, Daniella. "Manchin Says He Won't Vote for Build Back Better Act." CNN Politics, 19 Dec. 2021, www.cnn.com/2021/12/19/politics/joe-manchin-build-back-better/index.html. Accessed 14 Sept. 2022.

Krupa, Charles. “Joe Manchin Announces He Will Not Run for President.” NBC News, 16 Feb. 2024, www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/joe-manchin-announce-will-not-run-president-rcna139120. Accessed 21 Feb. 2024.

Raju, Manu, and Alex Rogers. "Manchin Reelection Plans Loom as Democrats Court His Critical Vote."CNN Politics, 14 Dec. 2021, www.cnn.com/2021/12/14/politics/joe-manchin-2024-reelection-plans/index.html. Accessed 15 Sept. 2022.