| Joe Manchin | |
|---|---|
| United States Senator from West Virginia |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office November 15, 2010 Serving with Jay Rockefeller |
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| Preceded by | Carte Goodwin |
| 34th Governor of West Virginia | |
| In office January 17, 2005 – November 15, 2010 |
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| Preceded by | Bob Wise |
| Succeeded by | Earl Ray Tomblin |
| 27th Secretary of State of West Virginia | |
| In office January 15, 2001 – January 17, 2005 |
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| Governor | Bob Wise |
| Preceded by | Ken Hechler |
| Succeeded by | Betty Ireland |
| Member of the West Virginia Senate from the 13th[1] district |
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| In office 1993–1996 |
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| Preceded by | Joseph M. Minard |
| Succeeded by | Mike Oliverio |
| Member of the West Virginia Senate from the 14th[2] district |
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| In office 1987–1993 |
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| Preceded by | James Davis[3] |
| Succeeded by | Eugene Claypole |
| Member of the West Virginia House of Delegates from the unknown district |
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| In office 1982–1986 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | Joseph Manchin III August 24, 1947 Farmington, West Virginia |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Spouse(s) | Gayle Conelly (1967–present) |
| Children | Heather Joseph IV Brooke |
| Residence | Fairmont, West Virginia |
| Alma mater | West Virginia University (B.S.) |
| Profession | Energy executive |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Signature | |
| Website | Senate website |
Joseph "Joe" Manchin III (born August 24, 1947)[4] is the junior United States Senator representing West Virginia. Manchin, a Democrat, was Governor of West Virginia from 2005 to 2010. He won the special election in November 2010 to fill the seat of Robert Byrd, who had died in office; the term ends January 3, 2013.
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Manchin was born in Farmington, West Virginia, in 1947, the second of five children of Mary (née Gouzd) and John Manchin.[4][5] His grandparents were Italian and Czechoslovakian immigrants.[4][6] His father owned a carpet and furniture store. His grandfather, Joe Manchin I, owned a grocery store.[7] Both his father and his grandfather were elected as Mayor of Farmington, West Virginia. His uncle James Manchin was a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates and was elected statewide as West Virginia Secretary of State and West Virginia State Treasurer.[8] Manchin graduated from Farmington High School in 1965.[9]
Manchin entered West Virginia University on a football scholarship in 1965; however, an injury during practice ended his football career. He graduated in 1970 with a degree in information management and later became involved in several family-owned businesses.
Manchin was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1982 at the age of 35 and was then elected to the West Virginia Senate in 1986, where he served until 1996. He ran for governor in 1996, finishing second to Charlotte Pritt among a large group of candidates in the Democratic primary election. He then ran for Secretary of State of West Virginia in 2000, winning easily.
Manchin announced his intention to challenge incumbent Democratic governor Bob Wise in the 2004 Democratic primary election in May 2003, but Wise decided not to seek re-election after a scandal, and Manchin won both the primary and general elections by large margins. His election marked the first time that two people of the same political party followed one another in the West Virginia governor's office since 1964.
Manchin easily won re-election to a second term as Governor in 2008, capturing 70 percent of the vote.
Manchin was a member of the National Governors Association, the Southern Governors' Association, and the Democratic Governors Association. He was also chairman of the Southern States Energy Board, state's chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission and chairman of the Interstate Mining Compact Commission.
In July 2005, Massey Energy chief executive officer Don Blankenship sued Manchin, alleging that Manchin had violated Blankenship's First Amendment rights by threatening increased government scrutiny of his coal operations due to Blankenship's political activities. Blankenship had donated substantial funds into campaigns to defeat a proposed pension bond amendment and oppose the re-election of state Supreme Court Justice Warren McGraw, and he fought against an proposed increase in the severance tax on extraction of mineral resources. Soon after defeat of the pension bond amendment, the state Division of Environmental Protection revoked a permit approval for controversial new silos near Marsh Fork Elementary School in Raleigh County. While area residents had complained for some time that the coal operation there endangered their children, Blankenship claimed that the DEP acted in response to his opposition to the bond amendment.
During the Sago Mine disaster of early January 2006 in Upshur County, West Virginia, Manchin initially appeared to confirm incorrect reports that 12 miners had survived; in actuality only one survived. Manchin later acknowledged that an unintentional miscommunication had occurred with rescue teams within the mine. On February 1, 2006, he ordered a stop to all coal production in West Virginia, pending safety checks, after two more miners were killed in separate accidents.[10] A total of 16 West Virginia coal miners died from mining accidents in early 2006. Manchin's overall handling of the Sago mine incident may have enhanced his popularity.[says who?] In November 2006, SurveyUSA ranked him as one of the most popular governors in the country with a 74 percent approval rating.[11]
On April 15, 2006, during an Easter visit to U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq, Manchin generated controversy[says who?] by posing for photographers while signing two missiles at Balad Air Force Base. One of the messages read, "Sending you to hell, from Almost Heaven, West Virginia." He told the media: "I just thought, 'Hey, these are people doing tremendous harm to our people.' I wanted to send them a little message."[12] After receiving several complaints, Manchin apologized.
Longtime West Virginia Democratic U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd's health was obviously declining by 2010. Speculation focused on what Democratic West Virginia Governor Manchin's response would be if the Senator passed away, but the Governor consistently refused to comment on the subject prior to Byrd's death, except for stating that he would not appoint himself to the position.[13] Senator Byrd died on June 28, 2010,[14] and Manchin in his capacity as governor, having the responsibility of designating a replacement, appointed Carte Goodwin, his 36-year-old legal adviser, on July 16[15] who became the youngest U.S. Senator.
A Rasmussen Reports poll found Manchin leading in the potential 2010 special election for the seat against Republican Congresswoman Shelly Moore Capito and former West Virginia Secretary of State Betty Ireland, also a Republican. On July 20, 2010, Manchin officially announced he would seek the Senate seat.[16]
In the Democratic primary on August 28, he defeated former Democratic Congressman and former West Virginia Secretary of State Ken Hechler [17] In the general election, he then defeated Republican John Raese.
Senator Manchin's seat is next up for election in November 2012.
Senator Manchin’s seat in the Senate will be up for election again in 2012. According to Democratic polling firm Public Policy Polling, early polling finds Senator Manchin heavily favored, leading Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito 50-39, 2010 opponent John Raese 60-31, and Congressman David McKinley 57-28.[18]
Manchin was sworn in by Vice President Joe Biden as a U.S. Senator on November 15, 2010, succeeding appointed Senator Carte Goodwin. Before his swearing-in, rumors suggested that the Republican Party was courting Manchin to change parties,[19] although the Republicans later suggested that Manchin was the source of the rumors.[20] Manchin named Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis to be his chief of staff. Kofinis was formerly an adviser to Wesley Clark and John Edwards.
On December 9, 2010, Manchin was the sole Democrat to vote against cloture for the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act, which contained a provision to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell. In an interview with The Associated Press, Manchin cited the advice of retired military chaplains as a basis for his decision to vote against repeal.[21] He also indicated he wanted more time to "hear the full range of viewpoints from the citizens of West Virginia."[22]
On December 18, 2010, Manchin was not present for the vote to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and the vote on the DREAM Act, regarding immigration. The National Republican Senatorial Committee criticized Manchin for attending a family Christmas gathering instead of voting on these sensitive issues.[23]
In June, 2011, Manchin joined with Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) in seeking a crackdown on bitcoin currency transactions, saying that they facilitated illegal drug trade transactions. "The transactions leave no traditional [bank transfer] money trail for investigators to follow, and leave it hard to prove a package recipient knew in advance what was in a shipment," using an "'anonymizing network' known as Tor."[24] One opinion website said the senators wanted "to disrupt [the] Silk Road drug website."[25]
| West Virginia gubernatorial election, 2004 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| Democratic | Joe Manchin | 472,758 | 63.5% | |
| Republican | Monty Warner | 253,131 | 33.6% | |
| Mountain | Jesse Johnson | 18,430 | 2% | |
| West Virginia gubernatorial election, 2008[26] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| Democratic | Joe Manchin | 493,246 | 69.77% | |
| Republican | Russ Weeks | 181,908 | 25.73% | |
| Mountain | Jesse Johnson | 31,515 | 4.46% | |
| United States Senate special election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| Democratic | Joe Manchin | 280,771 | 53.5% | |
| Republican | John Raese | 227,960 | 43.4% | |
| Mountain | Jesse Johnson | 10,048 | 1.9% | |
| Constitution | Jeff Becker | 6,366 | 1.2% | |
Manchin has been married since 1967 to the former Gayle Conelly, and they have three children: Heather, Joseph IV, and Brooke.[4] He is a member of the National Rifle Association and a licensed pilot.[4][27][28]
In 2006 and 2010 Manchin delivered commencement addresses at Wheeling Jesuit University and at Davis & Elkins College, receiving honorary degrees from both institutions.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ken Hechler |
Secretary of State of West Virginia 2001–2005 |
Succeeded by Betty Ireland |
| Preceded by Bob Wise |
Governor of West Virginia 2005–2010 |
Succeeded by Earl Ray Tomblin |
| Preceded by Jim Douglas |
Chairperson of National Governors Association 2010 |
Succeeded by Christine Gregoire |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Bob Wise |
Democratic nominee for Governor of West Virginia 2004, 2008 |
Succeeded by Earl Ray Tomblin |
| Preceded by Robert Byrd |
Democratic nominee for Senator from West Virginia (Class 1) 2010 |
Incumbent |
| United States Senate | ||
| Preceded by Carte Goodwin |
United States Senator (Class 1) from West Virginia 2010–present Served alongside: Jay Rockefeller |
Incumbent |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Scott Brown R-Massachusetts |
United States Senators by seniority 84th |
Succeeded by Chris Coons D-Delaware |
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