What Is Joe Manchin’s New Independent Leadership Council?

“We’re not trying to start another party,” Manchin told CNN in an interview that was published on Friday. “We’re trying to get a person who can be committed to—and totally committed to—being an independent with an independent voice. They can vote with Democrats and Republicans when they’re right and speak out against them when they’re wrong.”

The Manchins told CNN that if the council decides to support candidates, it will help them with campaigning, fundraising, and on-the-ground organizing. The Manchins were optimistic that, if their support can help a candidate win in the November midterms, then they might be able to have an impact on the 2028 presidential race.

“Our hope is that this is kind of our pilot, experiment, trying to prove it can be done,” Heather Manchin told CNN.

The council presents itself on its website as “an opportunity to fix politics.”

“America was founded on the belief that freedom and competition make us stronger. Somewhere along the way, our politics lost sight of those principles,” the website reads. “Decades of partisanship carved a divide most Americans never wanted. Instead of choosing sides, we’re changing the game by charting a new path that gives leaders the freedom to serve people, not parties.”