Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va) is considering exiting the United States Senate before the end of the 116th Congress or after the 2020 elections, according to The Hill.
Manchin is reportedly deeply troubled by the lack of bipartisanship in Congress and is instead, considering running for governor in his home state.
“I have people back home that want me to come back and run for governor. We’re looking at all the different plays. I want to make sure whatever time I have left in public service is productive,” he told The Hill.
He also said he has not been happy with the lack of action in the Senate.
“I haven’t been happy since I’ve been here. I’ve always thought there was more we can do. It’s the greatest body in the world, so much good could be done,” he said.
According to the Hill, “Manchin’s patience reached a breaking point shortly before the Memorial Day recess, when the Senate finally finished debating a disaster relief bill that many lawmakers thought should have passed weeks earlier.”
A Democratic senator told the publication that Manchin got fed up and threatened to retire before the end of the 116th Congress.
“He said, ‘I’m out of here.’ He was all pissed off and said, ‘I’m going to be out of here,’ ” the lawmaker–who requested anonymity–said.
The Hill writes:
Manchin continued to vent about the Senate’s lack of productivity during a trip he took with Senate colleagues to countries around the Arctic Circle, including Greenland, a Norwegian archipelago, Scotland and the Faroe Islands.
“I think he’s been fed up for a long time,” said a senator who traveled with Manchin. “He said, ‘I have so many people talking to me about whether I should or I shouldn’t [run for governor].’ ”
“One of the things you get as a lawmaker is you get lots of free advice from lots of people. He expressed frustration, and it’s the same that a lot of people share,” said the lawmaker, who spoke on background.
A third Senate colleague who has spoken to Manchin about his future in the Senate said, “All he says is, ‘I’ll be here until 2020.’”
