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Joe Manchin

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Joe Manchin
United States Senator
from West Virginia
Assumed office
November 15, 2010
Preceded byCarte Goodwin
34th Governor of West Virginia
In office
January 17, 2005 – November 15, 2010
Preceded byBob Wise
Succeeded byEarl Ray Tomblin
27th Secretary of State of West Virginia
In office
January 15, 2001 – January 17, 2005
GovernorBob Wise
Preceded byKen Hechler
Succeeded byBetty Ireland
Personal details
Born
Joseph Manchin III

(1947-08-24) August 24, 1947 (age 76)
Farmington, West Virginia, U.S.
Political partyIndependent (2024–present)
Democratic (until 2024)
Spouse(s)
Gayle Conelly Manchin
​
​
(m. 1967)​
Children3
EducationWest Virginia University (BBA)
Signature
WebsiteSenate website

Joseph Manchin III (/ˈmæntʃɪn/ MAN-chin; born August 24, 1947) is an American politician and businessman. He has represented West Virginia in the United States Senate since 2010. Manchin was also the governor of West Virginia from 2005 to 2010. He was a member of the Democratic Party for most of his life. In 2024, he became a independent politician. Before becoming a politician, he worked in the coal industry. He founded Enersystems, a family-owned coal company.[1]

Manchin calls himself a "centrist, moderate, conservative Democrat".[2] He doesn't want American troops in Afghanistan and Syria. He has voted against his party many times. He voted to support many of Donald Trump's policies, even though Trump was a Republican.[3] However, he has supported many Democratic policies too. He supported the Affordable Care Act, or "Obamacare". He also voted to convict Donald trump in his impeachment trials. He also voted for Joe Biden's Supreme Court nominee, Ketanji Brown Jackson, and the Inflation Reduction Act.[4]

Since 2021, Manchin has had a lot of power in Congress. Because the Senate is split almost evenly between Democrats and Republicans, every single vote matters a lot. Without Manchin's vote, any Democratic policy is hard to pass.[5]

Early life and education[change | change source]

Joseph Manchin III was born on August 24, 1947, in Farmington, West Virginia.[6] Farmington is a small coal mining town in northern West Virginia. He is the second of five children. His mother was Mary O. (née Gouzd), who was the daughter of immigrants from Czechoslovakia.[7][8] His father, John Manchin, was the son of Italian immigrants.[9]

When Manchin was young, he worked in his family's stores. His family lived in West Virginia for generations. Manchin's father and grandfather were both mayor of Huntington. His uncle James Manchin was the Secretary of State and Treasurer of West Virginia.[10]

Manchin graduated from Farmington High School in 1965.[11] He went to West Virginia University and played on its football team, but an injury made him stop playing. He graduated in 1970 with a degree in business.[12]

Early political career[change | change source]

In 1982, Manchin was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates when he was 35. In 1986, he was elected to the West Virginia Senate.[13] Both the Senate and the House of Delegates make and vote on state laws. In 1996, he tried to run for Governor of West Virginia. He lost the Democratic primary election to Charlotte Pritt.[14] It is the only election Manchin has ever lost. Even though he was a Democrat, he supported the Republican candidate for governor. Manchin ran for Secretary of State of West Virginia in 2000 and won. He got 89% of the vote.[15]


  1. ↑ "ENERSYSTEMS, INC. :: West Virginia (US) :: OpenCorporates". opencorporates.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2022. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
  2. ↑ Colegrove, Andrew (November 10, 2016). "Senator Manchin refutes speculation of a party switch". WSAZ-TV. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  3. ↑ Zengerle, Jason (September 26, 2018). "The Struggles of Joe Manchin, the Last Democrat in Trump Country". GQ.
  4. ↑ Foran, Clare (March 25, 2022). "Manchin says he will vote for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson". CNN. Archived from the original on March 26, 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  5. ↑ "Senate's 50-50 split lets Manchin and Sinema revel in outsize influence". the Guardian. 2021-10-29. Archived from the original on December 27, 2021. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  6. ↑ "Manchin, Joe, III". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Archived from the original on August 23, 2022. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  7. ↑ Cite error: The named reference USNews was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
  8. ↑ Baxter, Anna (August 26, 2008). "Day 2: Democratic National Convention". WSAZ-TV. Archived from the original on August 31, 2008. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Joe Manchin inducted into Order of La Sila". Times West Virginian. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved 2024-07-01 – via www.manchin.senate.gov.
  10. ↑ "Gov. Joe Manchin (D)". National Journal. June 22, 2005. Archived from the original on January 5, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  11. ↑ Fournier, Eddie (November 2008). "Joe Manchin III". Our States: West Virginia. EBSCO Publishing. pp. 1–3. ISBN 978-1-4298-1207-8.
  12. ↑ "Manchin, Joe, III, (1947-)". Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Joe Manchin | United States senator | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Archived from the original on January 23, 2022. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  14. ↑ "Our Campaigns - WV Governor Race - Nov 05, 1996". www.ourcampaigns.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  15. ↑ "Joe Manchin, captain of the Senate". www.yahoo.com. September 17, 2021. Archived from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
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