Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., will donate funds from his Country Roads PAC to more centrist candidates, he said Tuesday in an opinion piece for CNN.
Manchin, a former Democrat who has said he will retire at the end of his term in January, announced in May that he switched parties.
"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," he wrote.
"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 he will support are Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa.
"Bottom line: all three always put country over party," Manchin wrote of his decision.
"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, 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."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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