West Virginia independent Senator Joe Manchin, a former Democrat, said Tuesday that he is not endorsing Kamala Harris for the November elections. The 77-year-old had earlier indicated that he would endorse Harris, but changed his position over Harris' remarks on doing away with filibuster – a tactic used in the Senate to delay or block legislation.
Harris said in an interview on Wisconsin Public Radio this week that the US Senate should "eliminate the filibuster for Roe.” Manchin, a Senator known for frequent filibuster usage, said Harris' comments about doing away with it have prompted him to not endorse her.
“Shame on her,” Manchin told the press at the Capitol Tuesday. “She knows the filibuster is the Holy Grail of democracy. It’s the only thing that keeps us talking and working together. If she gets rid of that, then this would be the House on steroids.”
“I think that basically can destroy our country, and my country is more important to me than any one person or any one person’s ideology. … I think it’s the most horrible thing,” he added, saying that he will not endorse Harris.
Despite Harris' having strong views against filibuster, Manchin said he had hoped the Democrat would change her views, like she said she did with fracking.
“Well, she said she supported banning fracking too, and she changed that. I was hoping she would change this,” he added.
Why Does Kamala Harris Want To Eliminate Filibuster?
Kamala Harris, determined to enshrine Roe v Wade, explained that eliminating the filibuster will help pass it into a law with a simple majority, with 51 votes in favor, instead of the present 60
Harris explained: “51 votes would be what we need to actually put back in law the protections for reproductive freedom and for the ability of every person and every woman to make decisions about their own body and not have their government tell them what to do.”
While critics of the filibuster system have argued that it only blocks progressive legislation, its proponents say that it helps to build consensus in a Democratic setup.