Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia is considering a run for reelection as an independent, but a new internal poll suggests that leaving the party would do little to boost his chances among voters.
Mr. Manchin would lose by six points (49%-43%) in a head-to-head matchup against GOP Senate candidate and West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, according to a survey conducted by Republican pollster The Terrance Group for the Senate Leadership Fund. The Super PAC is aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican.
The poll shows that as an independent, Mr. Manchin would still lose registered independent voters by 11 points to Mr. Justice.
A majority of Mountain State voters, 57%, are aware of the conservative Democrat mulling a party switch. A majority, 52%, also have an unfavorable view of Mr. Manchin becoming an independent when told he could still caucus with Democrats. Among those polled, 36% had a favorable view of the switch.
Mr. Manchin remains undecided on his political future, which he says could include a third-party run for president. Some past polls have shown even steeper uphill climbs for Mr. Manchin as a Democrat against Mr. Justice, with double-digit deficits. The internal poll suggests Mr. Manchin would only nominally close the gap as an independent.
Mr. Justice must first win the Republican primary against Rep. Alex Mooney. Polls show the governor besting the congressman by double digits.
SEE ALSO: Manchin calls vote to oust McCarthy a ‘personal’ score-settling
Politico first reported the internal poll.
The survey was conducted Sept. 24-26 among 500 likely voters in West Virginia. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.