Former Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia is stepping back into the political arena with a new organization designed to recruit and elect independent candidates to Congress. The Independent Leadership Council (ILC), which Manchin announced this week, aims to build support and infrastructure for candidates running outside the Democratic and Republican parties in House and Senate races.
Manchin, who left the Democratic Party before retiring from the Senate in 2025 after decades as a Democrat, will lead the group alongside his daughter, Heather Manchin, a former pharmaceutical executive. The 78-year-old former senator told CNN that the effort is not about creating a third party. "We're not trying to start another party," he said. "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."
Manchin emphasized that he has no plans to run for office again but wants to help elect candidates willing to work across party lines. "I don't see me getting back into the fray, I really don't," he said. "Now I'm trying to help people around the country that want that same outcome."
The former West Virginia senator convened prospective candidates and political strategists in West Virginia this week for the group's inaugural summit. Attendees included Representative Kevin Kiley of California, a Republican-turned-Independent who faces a contentious reelection bid this year, independent Montana Senate candidate Seth Bodnar, and Iowa House candidate Michael Brigford. The event also highlighted ILC's target races in priority states such as Alaska, California, Iowa, Montana, and Washington.
In a statement, the ILC described the gathering as "both a strategy session and a call to action for Americans who believe the country's most important problems cannot be solved through partisan warfare alone." If the council decides to back candidates, the Manchins said they could campaign alongside them by helping raise money and organize in their districts. Heather Manchin described the effort as a test case that could expand if successful. "Our hope is that this is kind of our pilot experiment, trying to prove it can be done," she told CNN.
The initiative comes as 45 percent of U.S. adults now identify as political independents, according to a Gallup poll. Independents have made up the largest percentage of voters for more than a decade, as Americans grow more disenchanted with the current two-party system. This trend has been visible in recent local races, such as the recent independent victory in Chandler's mayoral race, suggesting growing appetite for alternatives.
Manchin's move also underscores broader political dynamics, including ongoing disputes over election integrity and party infighting. For instance, state officials have pushed back against revived election fraud claims ahead of midterms, while Democratic infighting has escalated over candidate quality. The ILC aims to offer an alternative for voters tired of partisan warfare.
