As Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., remains mum on whether he’ll run for re-election in an overwhelmingly Republican-leaning state, he’s had three separate, high-profile disagreements with the Democratic White House this month alone.
The most recent example came on Wednesday, when he announced he would vote against the administration’s pick to lead the Internal Revenue Service over his disagreements with the administration.
“At every turn, this Administration has ignored Congressional intent when implementing the Inflation Reduction Act,” Manchin said in a statement. “While Daniel Werfel is supremely qualified to serve as the IRS Commissioner, I have zero faith he will be given the autonomy to perform the job in accordance with the law and for that reason, I cannot support his nomination.”
The statement came days after Manchin announced he’d vote against Gigi Sohn’s nomination to the Federal Communications Commission, calling on the White House to “put forth a nominee who can bring us together, not drive us apart.” (Sohn withdrew her nomination hours later.)
And just days prior, Manchin blasted an internal memo from the Department of the Interior that appears to have been posted accidentally, leading the senator to say that “this Administration continues to ignore Congressional intent and instead panders to environmental groups at the expense of shoring up American energy security and keeping Americans safe.”
While Manchin’s electoral plans may still be opaque, the message he’s been sending to the administration this month is anything but.
In other campaign news…
Inching toward a run: Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., has started hiring staff for a potential presidential run, although he hasn’t decided if he’s definitely jumping into the race, per The State.
DeSantis the governor: The Washington Post delves into Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “broad embrace of the often coercive power of the government to push back on the private decisions of corporations, banks, academies of higher learning and the national media.”
Not showing him the money: Unlike the aides for other former presidents, former President Donald Trump’s top campaign staffers and White House advisers have largely not donated to his campaign or political committees throughout his political career, per The New York Times.
One-on-one with Gallego: Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., is speaking openly about his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder that stem from his service in the Iraq War as he runs for Senate, the Washington Post reports.
Speaking of the Arizona Senate race: Republican Karrin Taylor Robson, who lost last year’s GOP gubernatorial primary to Kari Lake, is expected to meet with the National Republican Senatorial Committee on Thursday as she weighs a run for Senate, per Politico.
Montana man: Another potential GOP candidate to watch in Montana’s Senate race is former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy, who owns an aerospace company, per the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, which breaks down key Senate GOP primaries to watch.
Best laid plans: NBC News’ Jane C. Timm reports that Fox Corp Chairman Rupert Murdoch discussed the idea of having top Fox primetime hosts declaring “something like ‘the election is over and Joe Biden won’” in an email the day before the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.
Let the spending begin: Fox News reports that Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign is planning a “seven-figure media blitz” as he looks to gain traction in the presidential primary field.
