Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who is retiring, and former Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, have refrained from endorsing their respective parties’ presidential candidates. Both senators have criticized members of both parties for the legislative deadlock in Congress.
When questioned by CNN’s Manu Raju about their voting intentions for President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, both senators evaded the question, making it clear they would not vote for the opposing party’s candidate.
Portman stated he was evaluating the policies, while Manchin expressed his reluctance to commit to voting for the president, attributing it to a perceived shift in Biden’s policies towards a more progressive stance. Manchin, a centrist often at odds with his party, announced last year that he would not seek reelection, a decision that could impact the Democrats’ control of the Senate.
Manchin also criticized Biden for the border crisis, stating that the president must accept responsibility for the situation. However, both senators agreed that the refusal of some GOP members to compromise and vote on a bipartisan border security bill has exacerbated the issue.
In early February, Senate Republicans blocked a bipartisan border deal, which included foreign aid for Ukraine and Israel. Portman echoed Manchin’s call for bipartisan efforts to resolve the issue and expressed his disagreement with Republicans who rejected the deal.
Both senators also expressed their disagreement with the Republicans’ move to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the first cabinet member to be impeached in nearly 150 years. Manchin stated he would vote to dismiss the articles of impeachment, while Portman expressed concern about the precedent this could set.
Manchin and Portman, both known for negotiating bipartisan agreements, expressed their concern about the current state of Congress and the apparent unwillingness of lawmakers to compromise on significant legislation. Manchin also expressed his fear that if the filibuster ends, it could reduce the number of moderates in either party and make compromise more difficult.
Portman, on the other hand, stated that the issue is less about whether a lawmaker is moderate but whether they are willing to find common ground to solve problems. He expressed concern that this willingness is currently lacking in the Senate.
Contributors to this report include CNN’s Manu Raju, Morgan Rimmer, Edward-Isaac Dovere, Lauren Fox, Sheden Tesfaldet, Jeffrey Ackermann, and Kayla Gallagher.