Joe Manchin: I’m putting my PAC’s money where bipartisanship is

Editor’s Note: Joe Manchin III is an independent representing the state of West Virginia in the United States Senate. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own. Read more opinion at CNN.

Last month, I declared my independence from both political parties and vowed to fight for America’s sensible majority. And now I’m taking that fight one step further.

Throughout my time in the US Senate, I have always tried to bring everyone to the negotiating table — such as in passing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Electoral Reform Act and common-sense gun-safety legislation — no matter their political beliefs to find common-sense solutions to America’s greatest challenges, including our soaring national debt, the high cost of living for families across the country and the crisis at our southern border.

But it’s become clear after my 14 years in Washington, DC, that our national politics are broken and both parties are finding it more difficult to compromise and find any common ground. It’s not just me who sees this as a problem: According to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey, 86% of Americans agreed that “Republicans and Democrats are more focused on fighting each other than on solving problems” is a “good description” of our political system.

We need a major overhaul of our extreme partisan system in which the Democratic and Republican parties have a duopoly on high-dollar donors, online fundraising and huge checks from political action committees (PACs).

Today, I am taking an important and immediate step to right one of those wrongs by turning my Country Roads PAC from one that has mostly given to the Democratic Party into a bipartisan PAC to support Democrats, Republicans and independents at all levels of government who are committed to working across the aisle to get stuff done, such as protecting the filibuster in the Senate, opposing efforts to undermine our democracy, publicly breaking with the party establishment, putting country before party and doing the right thing for America.

Most importantly, I will reward people who have worked across the aisle and passed legislation, engaged in bipartisan conversation and stood up to the extremes.

The first three candidates I am supporting have a track record of working across the aisle to enact meaningful legislation for our country and their respective states and districts.

Maine Sen. Angus King has been an independent voice in the Senate and helped pass significant bipartisan legislation, such as the Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act that helped small businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic and the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act that helps Americans impacted by the opioid crisis.

Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine has stood up to extremist voices in both parties, is a leader of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition and has secured historic legislative victories, such as helping secure votes for the infrastructure bill.

Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania co-chairs the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus and has spent his entire career in service to our country, serving as an FBI special agent and federal prosecutor before becoming one of the most bipartisan members in the House.

Bottom line: all three always put country over party.

These are the kind of representatives that Congress and, more importantly, our country need. They don’t cater to the fringes of either party to gain followers on X (formerly Twitter), they don’t seek sound bites and viral moments on cable news, and they aren’t worried about talking to or working with the opposing side — they are committed to doing what is right for their constituents and our country. They don’t care if it’s a Democratic or Republican idea; they care if it’s a solution for America.

Our two-party duopoly machine is big business. Both Democrats and Republicans alike employ sophisticated external networks of outside groups that raise billions of dollars to amplify their influence and limit Americans’ choices at the ballot box. In the Pew survey, 85% of Americans agreed that “the cost of political campaigns makes it hard for good people to run for office.”

No matter how good the message or how strong the candidate is, few outside the party establishment have any chance of breaking through that duopoly.

Make no mistake, my financial donations will not level the playing field or fix our broken system. But I believe they send an important message to voters, donors and companies that we all can and should do our part to change the system.

It sends a message that we can and should support these candidates who will fight for their constituents and not just vote “no” on everything. I’ve always said that “no” is the easiest vote in Washington. Getting to “yes” is hard and should be supported and rewarded.

In every corner of the country, I will continue looking for candidates who resist party purity tests and do the difficult work required to revive bipartisanship and represent the millions of Americans who feel left behind by both Democrats and Republicans. These PAC checks will be an investment in good governing, not a reward for bad behavior.