Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.V., will not be endorsing Democrat Kamala Harris for president due to differences over the Senate filibuster. Manchin, who first won a seat in the Senate back in 2010, is retiring at the end of the year.
The former Democrat expressed criticism toward Harris’ suggestion to toss out the Senate filibuster in order to advance a bill that would guarantee abortion rights in the United States. The vice president recently made such remarks on the campaign trail.
“Shame on her,” Manchin told CNN. “She knows the filibuster is the Holy Grail of our democracy. It’s the only thing that keeps us talking and working together.” He went on to say the country is more important than one person’s ideology.
If the Senate filibuster is eliminated, it would lower the threshold in the Senate from 60 votes to a simple majority of 51 to advance legislation.
Earlier this year, Manchin said there is no way he could support the Republican nominee, Donald Trump. He said a second Trump presidency would be detrimental to the United States and the country’s standing in the world.
