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West Virginia's Manchin chooses Senate over statehouse

By Doug G. Ware

WASHINGTON, April 19 (UPI) -- Faced with the choice of returning to the job he loved in West Virginia or trying to break the partisan gridlock in Washington, Sen. Joe Manchin has opted for gridlock.

During an interview on CBS' Face the Nation Sunday, Manchin said he will abandon the idea of running for West Virginia governor in 2016 -- a job to which he'd previously said he looked forward to returning.

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Admittedly frustrated with partisan politics in Washington, Manchin said he wanted to return to the Charleston statehouse -- where he served as governor between 2005 and 2010 before taking Sen. Robert Byrd's vacant seat on Capitol Hill. Sunday, he surprised Democrats by announcing that he's decided to stay put.

"I will be the first to tell you I didn't think it would be this difficult [in the Senate]," he said. "But I think we've made some inroads."

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A Democrat from a state that's becoming more conservative, Manchin said he loved serving as the Mountain State's governor and looked forward to going back after a poll indicated he had a substantial lead on the rest of the field of potential candidates. That, coupled with his growing frustration in Washington, is what made his decision Sunday so surprising.

The deciding factor, he said, was a renewed feeling that he can continue to try and make a difference at the federal level.

"I really believe we've changed the whole process to a certain extent in the Senate to where we're willing to put our country first and I'm going to continue to fight for that," Manchin said. "That's the reason I've made a decision to stay in the United States Senate."

The 67-year-old lawmaker's decision is seen by many as a coup for Democrats, who may struggle to retain seats in Congress in the 2016 and 2018 elections.

"I know that the Senate's not working the way it was intended to," he added, "but I'm not going to stop fighting to make it work."

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Manchin was elected in 2010 to serve out the remainder of Byrd's term, following the congressman's death, and was elected in his own right to his first six-year term in 2012. His decision to remain in the Senate opens the field for gubernatorial candidates in Charleston. Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin must vacate the statehouse in 2016 because he is term-limited.

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Among his efforts in Washington, Manchin has supported a bill that would impose harsh sanctions on Iran if a nuclear deal isn't hashed out and ratified by the June 30 deadline. But he is not among lawmakers who want final approval of any deal -- a controversial issue that has arisen and divided Congress in recent weeks.

"I'd simply rather negotiate for peace and use all our diplomacy than declare war," he said on CBS Sunday.

A supporter of President Barack Obama, Manchin acknowledged that it is difficult being a Democrat in a largely Republican state. And when the time comes for Obama to leave the White House, he already knows who he wants to replace him.

"I know Hillary Clinton. And I find her to be warm and engaging, compassionate and tough," he said. "She's going to earn every vote. She's working for every vote that she can possibly get. She brings more experience to the table. She's been more on the front lines than any person. More experience than any person we have at that level. She knows the leaders around the world.

"I just personally believe that Hillary is the best prepared to do the job for America."

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