Closing summary
The Democrats’ already difficult road to keeping their Senate majority in next year’s elections just got even more difficult after West Virginia’s Joe Manchin announced he would not run again. He would have faced a tough re-election contest in the deeply red state and the GOP is almost certain to claim the seat. Democrats must now focus on winning key elections in Ohio, Montana, Arizona and a handful of swing states, along with the White House, if they want to control Congress’s upper chamber. Meanwhile, the US government is once again days away from shutting down, and there’s no sign of an agreement in Congress to prevent it. House Speaker Mike Johnson reportedly wants a short-term measure that funds the government for varying periods of time, though many lawmakers view that as excessively complex, and the chamber’s minority leader Hakeem Jeffries says Democrats will not support it.
Here’s what else has happened today:
Kevin McCarthy said there should be consequences for Matt Gaetz, the Republican lawmaker who led the charge to remove him as speaker of the House.
Joe Biden squabbled with a Fox News reporter over his age, polling and abortion access.
Vivek Ramaswamy defended his attacks on fellow Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley in last night’s debate.
Progressive congresswoman Cori Bush called Israel’s decision to pause its bombing campaign in Gaza for brief periods every day “heartless”.
Ohio’s imperiled Democratic senator Sherrod Brown appealed for donations in the wake of Manchin’s decision to step down.
In the statement announcing he would end his Senate career, Joe Manchin said “I will not be running for re-election to the United States Senate, but what I will be doing is traveling the country and speaking out to see if there is an interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle and bring Americans together.”
That line stoked speculation he could launch a third-party presidential run next year, perhaps with the help of centrist group No Labels. Democrats have been fretting over that possibility for months, as a Manchin candidacy could swing voters away from Joe Biden, whose re-election campaign has been dogged by worrying poll numbers.
At the Capitol, Politico says some of Manchin’s counterparts don’t believe he has presidential ambitions:
Sen. Tim Kaine, who is close to Manchin, says he doesn't think Manchin will run for POTUS.
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) November 9, 2023
“No. I don’t have any advice to give him”
Another Dem source doubts he'll run, too.
