{"id":2621978,"date":"2026-07-01T07:15:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T11:15:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/manchin-urges-fetterman-to-leave-democrats-and-go-independent\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T07:15:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T11:15:35","slug":"manchin-urges-fetterman-to-leave-democrats-and-go-independent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/manchin-urges-fetterman-to-leave-democrats-and-go-independent\/","title":{"rendered":"Manchin urges Fetterman to leave Democrats and go independent"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmanchin-urges-fetterman-to-leave-democrats-and-go-independent%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2621978&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Former Senator Joe Manchin,now an independent from West Virginia,recommends that Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania follow his example and leave the Democratic Party,describing it as a freeing experience. Manchin believes Fetterman\u2019s independence would enable him to act as a true broker, working effectively across party lines and making compromise possible. Fetterman, who initially identified as a progressive Democrat and campaigned on positions like abolishing the filibuster, has since renounced that stance, acknowledging he was wrong. He has also criticized his party for catering to fringe elements and has shown a willingness to break from party orthodoxy, leading to speculation about a potential party switch, which he has dismissed. Manchin praises Fetterman&#8217;s independent approach,emphasizing that it would give him greater flexibility in caucusing and representing his constituents.Fetterman\u2019s future plans are unclear, but several Democrats are rumored to be considering challenging him in the 2028 election.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>EXCLUSIVE \u2014<\/strong> Former Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-manchin\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"673\">Joe Manchin<\/a>, the Democrat-turned-independent from <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/west-virginia\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"350\">West Virginia<\/a>, is recommending that Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-fetterman\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1175\">John Fetterman<\/a> (D-PA) follow in his path and leave the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democratic-party\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"288\">Democratic Party<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMy observation, and recommendation from observation, would be, John, trust me, set yourself free and become an independent,\u201d Manchin said in a Tuesday morning phone interview with the <em>Washington Examiner.<\/em> \u201cIt\u2019s liberating.\u201d<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a 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class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Manchin, who left the Democratic Party in 2024 and opted not to seek a third term that same year, said if Fetterman wants to work with both sides of the aisle, becoming an independent would allow the Pennsylvania Democrat to \u201cspeak as a real, true, free, free broker.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cJohn Fetterman is voting what he believes is right for his people and what he can explain, and I appreciate that and respect it,\u201d Manchin said. \u201cWhen you like both people and both sides, you can sit down with both sides, you can agree to disagree, you can try to find compromise and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-american-counterpunch-governor-greg-abbott-touts-his-state-as-the-land-of-freedom-and-opportunity\/\" title=\"Exclusive -- American Counterpunch: Governor Greg Abbott Touts His State as the Land of Freedom and Opportunity\">make things happen<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fetterman, who once described himself as a progressive Democrat, renounced the label in 2023, saying he \u201cwould just call myself a Democrat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The former progressive has broken from his party on several high-profile issues, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >including border security<\/a> and his support for Israel and the war in Iran.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He has also criticized his fellow Democrats, accusing the party of \u201ccatering to the fringe and agitated parts of our base\u201d in an op-ed published in the <em>Washington Post.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The willingness to break from ideological orthodoxy has sparked speculation about that Fetterman could switch parties and become a Republican. Fetterman has batted down the idea, saying he would make a \u201cterrible Republican who still votes overwhelmingly with Democrats.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Manchin told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that if Fetterman left the Democratic Party, it would give him the flexibility to decide how, where, and with whom he would caucus. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSo you\u2019re not making a commitment that you owe your soul to the company store, or basically to the parties, whether it be a D or an R, they\u2019re going to have to earn your support, but the people will be much better off, and they\u2019ll appreciate, I think, John\u2019s independent stance,\u201d Manchin said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fetterman ran for Senate in 2022 on a progressive platform that included nuking the filibuster, a tool of the upper chamber that has been under increased strain to be abandoned during President Donald Trump\u2019s second term. Fetterman has since renounced his support for abolition, telling the<em> Katie Miller Podcast<\/em> earlier this month <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4592865\/fetterman-wrong-campaign-eliminate-filibuster\/\">that he was wrong<\/a> about the filibuster. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOne thing I was absolutely wrong on, is that in my cycle in \u201822, we were running to eliminate the filibuster,\u201d Fetterman said. \u201cAnd we were so wrong, so wrong about that.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fetterman said during his appearance that he believed Manchin and former independent Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema are \u201cvindicated\u201d in their staunch support for the filibuster. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4629992\/summer-lee-2028-primary-john-fetterman\/\"><strong>SUMMER LEE\u2019S ALLIES EAGER TO SEE \u2018SQUAD\u2019 DEMOCRAT PRIMARY FETTERMAN IN 2028<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Manchin said he appreciated Fetterman\u2019s change in opinion, saying that after joining the Senate\u2019s ranks, Fetterman saw \u201chow divided the Senate has become\u201d and \u201cchanged his position on that, and I appreciate that very much.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fetterman has not announced his plans for 2028; however, several possible challengers have already been floated to run against the first-term senator, including Reps. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) and Summer Lee (D-PA).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Manchin urges Fetterman to leave Dems, go independent<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2912,"featured_media":2621979,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-collage-k36aynr2z-1782852251507-e1782854875278.jpg?1782837971&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[3685,7921,52741,4426,34432],"class_list":["post-2621978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-democrats","tag-fetterman","tag-independent-2","tag-manchin","tag-political-shift"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-collage-k36aynr2z-1782852251507-e1782854875278.jpg?1782837971&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2621978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2912"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2621978"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2621978\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2621982,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2621978\/revisions\/2621982"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2621979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2621978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2621978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2621978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}