Manchin announces he will not run for U.S. Senate

Nov. 9—By SAMANTHA PERRY

Bluefield Daily Telegraph

WASHINGTON D.C. — West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin has announced he will not seek reelection to the federal office.

Instead, the Blue Dog Democrat said in a press announcement Thursday afternoon that he will be "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."

Manchin began his announcement by discussing his upbringing in the northern West Virginia coal mining town of Farmington, filled with "hard-working people," where his father, John Manchin, owned a furniture store.

"And one day, our local state representative came in and asked dad for a favor saying, 'You owe me for all the things I've done for your little town,' " Manchin said.

"When the man left, I turned to my dad and said, "Now wait a minute, isn't helping Farmington that man's job?"

Manchin said that occurrence became the defining moment between self-service and public service.

"When I told my dad that I was going to run for office, he said, "Politics is a bad business, son, I'm telling you right now. Stay out of it."

Manchin was first sworn into the United States Senate on November 15, 2010, to fill the seat left vacant by the late Senator Robert C. Byrd. He also served six years as governor of the Mountain State, in addition to serving in the state legislature.

Manchin currently serves as the chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and also serves on the Senate Committee on Appropriations, the Senate Committee on Armed Services, and the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

— Contact Samantha Perry at sperry@bdtonline.com.

— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com. Follow him @BDTOwens