Joe Manchin and Rob Portman hold back support from their parties’ presidential nominees while calling for bipartisanship in Congress
CNN
Retiring Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and former Ohio GOP Sen. Rob Portman are holding off from throwing support behind their parties’ presidential nominee, while taking aim at members on both sides of the aisle for stalled legislation in Congress.
Retiring Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and former Sen. Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican, are holding off on throwing support behind their parties’ presidential nominees, while taking aim at members on both sides of the aisle for stalled legislation in Congress. When asked by CNN’s Manu Raju if Manchin and Portman would vote for President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, respectively, the two dodged the question but made clear that they will not be voting for the opposing party’s nominee. While Portman said he’s “looking at the policies,” Manchin signaled that his hesitance over committing to vote for the president is because he believes Biden’s policies have become more progressive over the years. “I know Joe Biden and I’ve known Joe Biden for a long time, and it’s not the Joe Biden I’m seeing today — the way he’s being pulled so far left by his administration,” Manchin told Raju on “Inside Politics Sunday.” “I want to see him take charge again, bring him back to the central, center part where they’re responsible, sensible, most of the people are.” Manchin, a centrist who has long found himself at odds with members of his party and has been critical of the president for being too liberal, announced last year that he will not run for reelection — a blow for Democrats’ chances to hold control of the Senate. He briefly explored a third-party presidential run but announced earlier this year that he will not mount a 2024 campaign for president. The Democratic senator also blamed Biden for the border crisis, adding that the president “has to take blame for what is wrong,” but Manchin and Portman agreed that some GOP members’ unwillingness to compromise and vote on a bipartisan border security bill has made the issue more dire.
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