West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin (D) on Thursday made official what his colleagues had privately suspected for months, that he won’t be returning to Washington as a senator in 2025, putting Democrats on an uphill path to keeping their Senate majority in next year’s election.
The news that Manchin will walk away from the Senate at the end of next year landed on Senate Democrats with a thud, killing the giddy buzz they were feeling after winning key state races in Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia on Tuesday.
A hallmark of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) tenure as Senate Democrats’ chief political strategist has been to persuade incumbents to run for reelection in tough races.
Manchin’s announcement means Democrats will have to win seven competitive races in Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin — all Republican-leaning or swing states — to keep control of the Senate.
