Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) is sharing which one of his Republican colleagues he would endorse “in a heartbeat.”
He told POLITICO’s Playbook Deep Dive podcast he would support Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s (R-Alaska) 2022 reelection campaign “in a heartbeat.”
Manchin said of Murkowski in a joint interview, “I’ve met a lot of good people in Alaska, they know when they’ve got the real deal. And they see the person that basically is bringing both sides together, trying to look for the best interest.”
He added, “People understand that they have a person that understands Alaska and has Alaska in her blood and in every part of her veins and every morsel of her body.”
Murkowski responded, “I would welcome his endorsement.”
Kelly Tshibaka, who is running against Murkowski, issued a statement on Friday blasting Manchin.
“The D.C. Swamp protects its own and Joe Manchin knows that Lisa Murkowski is more like him than the Alaskans she’s forgotten about,” Tshibaka said.
She continued, “Murkowski voted to remove President Trump from office even though he was already gone, just like Manchin. She voted to keep Obamacare, just like Manchin. And she voted to give amnesty to illegal immigrants, just like Manchin. They are birds of a feather flocking together.”
Tshibaka argued, “But why stop with Manchin? Socialist Bernie Sanders works to kill Alaska’s oil, gas, and mining jobs and shares Murkowski’s pro-abortion views. Will Bernie endorse Murkowski next?”
Former President Donald Trump announced earlier last month he would be campaigning against Murkowski after she voted to convict him on the charge of inciting an insurrection during his second impeachment trial, as IJR previously reported.
“I will not be endorsing, under any circumstances, the failed candidate from the great State of Alaska, Lisa Murkowski. She represents her state badly and her country even worse,” Trump said in a statement.
He went on, “I do not know where other people will be next year, but I know where I will be – in Alaska campaigning against a disloyal and very bad Senator. Her vote to advance radical left Democrat Deb Haaland for Secretary of the Interior is yet another example of Murkowski not standing up for Alaska.”