West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin
On Sunday, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin announced that he would
seek re-election to the Senate in 2018 rather than run for his old job as governor next year. The move comes as a surprise: Manchin was not subtle about his unhappiness in Washington, and he
appeared to be gearing up for a gubernatorial bid.
Manchin's decision will comes as welcome news to the DSCC. West Virginia has been growing increasingly Republican in the last few cycles, and it would have been tough for a Democrat without Manchin's personal popularity to hold onto this seat. The Republican state legislature has also been working on a bill that would have prevented a Gov. Manchin from appointing someone to the Senate for the final two years of his term. It only takes a simple majority of each chamber to override a gubernatorial veto, so there was little Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin could have done to stop this from becoming law. Now, assuming Manchin sticks by his plans to run again in 2018, Democrats should have an easier time keeping this Senate seat in the blue column, though nothing is assured this far out.
But without Manchin on the ballot next year, it will be a lot more difficult for Mountain State Democrats to hold the open governor's mansion. State Senate Minority Leader Jeff Kessler created an exploratory committee even before Manchin made his plans clear, and U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin didn't rule anything out earlier this month. Team Blue still has a decent bench here, so there are other politicians who may take a look at this post now that they know they won't need to face Manchin in the primary. But none of them have Manchin's name recognition or popularity, and they'll need to work hard to win in this conservative state.
Three notable Republicans have expressed interest in succeeding the termed-out Tombin. Attorney General Patrick Morrisey quickly released a statement after Manchin made his plans clear, saying that, "West Virginia needs bold leadership to help create new jobs, fight against EPA overreach, and build a strong economy." While Morrisey hasn't announced anything yet, it sounds like he very much wants to be that leader. Rep. David McKinley and state Senate President Bill Cole have also floated their names. It's possible that more Republicans will eye this seat now that they don't need to worry about Manchin. The senator's announcement will definitely reshape next year's gubernatorial contest, and we'll be watching all the developments closely.