While the Biden administration is marked by one failure after another, Democrats are scrambling to figure out how to retain Congress in 2022.
Some senators have taken a stand against their bad policies, which have been met with praise from Republicans and hostility from the far-left because of their near-sighted political goals. Thankfully, average voters are not as easily fooled as hyperpartisan Democrats.
Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W. Va.) popularity in his home state greatly benefitted from the awful first year of the Biden administration, as new Morning Consult data reveals that his approval rating increased 16%.
The firm gathered data from registered voters in each senator’s respective state from Jan. 1 to March 31, and compared it with their approval ratings from the first quarter of 2021. Manchin, who is a frequent critic of the president despite his party affiliation, saw the greatest difference in approval, going from 40% to 57%, with others such as Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) also seeing noteworthy improvements.
According to Morning Consult senior reporter Eli Yokley, this makes Manchin one of the top ten most popular United States senators under Biden.
NEW: Over the past year, @Sen_JoeManchin has seen the largest job approval rating improvement of any senator.
It places him among America’s 10 most popular senators for the first time since Biden took office. https://t.co/PXyvmdLlL2 pic.twitter.com/MPq40huOUt
— Eli Yokley (@eyokley) April 25, 2022
Independents and Republicans are responsible for Manchin’s high statewide approval, as he went from 31% to 50% with Independents and a jaw-dropping 35% to 69% among Republicans.
Unfortunately, West Virginia Democrats appear to be less thrilled with his leadership against the radical left, as his approval only increased from 32% to 54%.
Manchin acts as a necessary blockade to the Biden agenda, especially when it comes to the Build Back Better plan. He raised concerns about both the bill’s impact on inflation and American energy in a December statement: “My Democratic colleagues in Washington are determined to dramatically reshape our society in a way that leaves our country even more vulnerable to the threats we face,” Manchin said. “I cannot take that risk with a staggering debt of more than $29 trillion and inflation taxes that are real and harmful to every hard-working American at the gasoline pumps, grocery stores and utility bills with no end in sight.”
“If enacted, the bill will also risk the reliability of our electric grid and increase our dependence on foreign supply chains. The energy transition my colleagues seek is already well underway in the United States of America,” he later added.
West Virginia was the fifth-largest producer of energy in the U.S. as of 2019 and the second-largest producer of coal in particular in 2020, according to the Energy Information Administration. In order to protect the jobs and interests of West Virginians, Manchin has an obligation to oppose certain policies that would have a drastic impact on his state’s economy. His realistic attitude toward environmental and energy issues is maddening to the far-left climate activists, who have little influence in the Mountain State.
His refusal to enable every aspect of the White House’s legislative agenda has put him at odds with fellow Democrats nationally, but Manchin appears to be reaping the benefits where it matters. He’s arguably one of the most powerful men in the 50-50 Senate, which gives both Democrats and Republicans political anxiety.
In a midterm election season where people are extremely frustrated with Washington on numerous fronts, Manchin seems to be one of the Democrats who understands his party is in danger. While leftists see him as a thorn in their side, many average Americans see him as a rare ally in Washington.
