Former Senator Joe Manchin launched the Independent Leadership Council on Thursday, a new organization aimed at recruiting and electing independent candidates to Congress, signaling his continued engagement in politics after leaving the Senate in 2025. Manchin, 78, is leading the effort alongside his daughter Heather Manchin, a former pharmaceutical executive, to build support and infrastructure for candidates running outside the Democratic and Republican parties in congressional races.
“We’re not trying to start another party,” Manchin said in an interview with CNN. “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 council convened prospective candidates and political strategists in West Virginia this week for the group’s inaugural summit. Attendees included Rep. Kevin Kiley, a California Republican-turned-Independent facing a contentious reelection bid, independent Montana Senate candidate Seth Bodnar, and Iowa House candidate Michael Bridgford. The event highlighted the ILC’s target races in priority states including Alaska, California, Iowa, Montana, and Washington.
“The gathering served 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,” the ILC said in a statement. 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 political independents have grown significantly in the U.S. electorate. According to a Gallup poll, 45 percent of U.S. adults now identify as political independents, the highest percentage on record.
Manchin’s move reflects his own political journey. He left the Democratic Party in May 2024 after spending decades as a Democrat, registering as an independent as his relationship with the party deteriorated. He told CNN he has no plans to run for office again. “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 Independent Leadership Council represents Manchin’s latest effort to champion independent candidates at a time when voter frustration with the two-party system continues to grow. Independents have made up the largest percentage of voters for more than a decade, even as Republicans and Democrats continue to dominate elected offices.
Sources
- The Hill — Manchin’s announcement of the Independent Leadership Council, the council’s mission, attendees at the inaugural summit, target states, and Manchin’s quotes about not running for office again
- CNN — Manchin and Heather Manchin interviews detailing the council’s strategy, the pilot program approach, and Manchin’s reasoning for the effort
- Gallup — 45 percent of U.S. adults identifying as political independents, the highest percentage on record
- NBC News — Manchin’s departure from the Democratic Party in May 2024 and registration as an independent
