Joe Manchin III (D - WV) Definitely Yes 2018 election seat
TweetContact Senator Manchin
October 5: JOE MANCHIN SAYS HE'S A YES on Kavanaugh. (Twitter)
October 4: VIDEO: @Sen_JoeManchin approached by protestor who asks “why are you going to vote yes on this [Kavanaugh]?” He replies, “how do you know how I’m gonna vote?” (Twitter)
September 25: “I’m very open. I haven’t closed any doors at all on Kavanaugh. I just want to make sure there’s a fair, open and civil hearing,” said Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, perhaps the most conservative Democrat. “The man has to have a chance to clear his name, but these ladies have the complete opportunity to tell their story.” Manchin said the allegations haven’t made him any less likely to vote against Kavanaugh than he was two weeks ago: “It hasn’t changed anything. I’m still waiting for this hearing.” (Politico)
September 24: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said Monday that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh deserves a “right to clear himself” at the upcoming Senate hearing about the allegation of sexual assault made by professor Christine Blasey Ford. “All this is extremely serious and we take it very serious, but again these are allegations that are made and they have to come forth and prove their statements and he has a right to clear himself,” Manchin said. (Talking Points Memo)
September 17: Professor Christine Blasey Ford deserves to be heard and Judge Kavanaugh deserves a chance to clear his name. Both have said they are willing to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee and I hope they will be given the opportunity to do that as quickly as possible. (Twitter)
August 22: Dem WV Sen Manchin says he disagrees with Schumer about delaying Kavanaugh hearing over Cohen guilty plea. Says “that’s not right..we have a job to do.” (Twitter)
July 30: Today, Judge Kavanaugh and I had a productive meeting and talked about his experience, record and a variety of issues that will impact West Virginians, including his views on healthcare. The Supreme Court may ultimately decide the fate of pre-existing conditions protections for nearly 800,000 West Virginians and will personally impact everyone who knows somebody with a pre-existing condition. Right now, there is a pending lawsuit in federal court brought by 20 state Attorneys General, including the Attorney General of West Virginia, which would allow insurance companies to once again deny coverage to West Virginians with pre-existing conditions. As the Senator from West Virginia, I have a constitutional responsibility to advise and consent on a nominee to fill Supreme Court vacancies and I take that responsibility seriously. I think it’s irresponsible to announce your position minutes after the nominee is announced. I will not make a final decision on Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination until I complete a thorough and fair examination of his candidacy in order to decide whether he should hold the position of Associate Justice on the highest court in the land, just as I did with Neil Gorsuch. (senate.gov)
July 30: After his meeting, Manchin told reporters he still wanted to read more about Kavanaugh as well as see him in his confirmation hearing, which has been scheduled for September 4 in the Senate Judiciary Committee. "I've told him, my thing is now is what until he has his Judiciary hearing. When the hearing is over, I will want to call him back in to sit down and go over basically what we heard today. What we have looked into in more detail and also seen what he said to the Judiciary hearing to see if there's anything we need clarification on," Manchin said after his meeting. (CNN)
July 20: In constituent town hall on Kavanaugh, Manchin going over nominee's rulings on Obamacare and says he wants to ask him: "Now that the individual mandate has been repealed by the tax law...what’s your opinion on the constitutionality of the ACA?" "I can't give you his answer because I haven't spoken to him yet," Manchin tells constituents. "All my legal minds, their brains are twisting and turning right now." (Twitter)
July 16: I take my responsibility to advise and consent on a nominee to the Supreme Court very seriously. As I did when Merrick Garland and Neil Gorsuch were nominated, I am evaluating Judge Kavanaugh’s record, legal qualifications, judicial philosophy and particularly, his views on healthcare. I encourage West Virginians to review his qualifications themselves and share their thoughts and concerns with me. (senate.gov)
July 11: No I don’t have a lean [on how I will vote]. I think he seems to be a very fine person of high moral standards. A family person who’s very involved in his community. Has all the right qualities. He’s well-educated. And with that, you know, we have to just look at making sure that the rule of law and the Constitution is going to be followed ... I’ll be hearing from West Virginians and their opinion. And I think they have, also, a right. And that’s who I work for. They’re my boss. And we want to hear from them, too, during this process. (YouTube)
July 10: “I thought he came across as a good family person, good, decent human being,” Mr. Manchin said of his initial reaction to Judge Kavanaugh. But he said he would not be making a hasty decision about a Supreme Court appointment mere hours after the announcement, noting his concern about Judge Kavanaugh’s views of the Affordable Care Act given the “lives at stake” in West Virginia. (The New York Times)
July 9: As the Senator from West Virginia, I have a constitutional obligation to advise and consent on a nominee to fill Supreme Court vacancies and I take that responsibility seriously. Just as I did when Merrick Garland and Neil Gorsuch were nominated, I will evaluate Judge Kavanaugh’s record, legal qualifications, judicial philosophy and particularly, his views on healthcare. The Supreme Court will ultimately decide if nearly 800,000 West Virginians with pre-existing conditions will lose their healthcare. This decision will directly impact almost 40% of my state, so I’m very interested in his position on protecting West Virginians with pre-existing conditions. As I have always said, I believe the Senate should hold committee hearings; Senators should meet with him, we should debate his qualifications on the Senate floor and cast whatever vote we believe he deserves. I look forward to meeting with Judge Kavanaugh, examining his rulings and making a determination of whether to provide my consent. (senate.gov)