Joe Manchin Launches Independent Leadership Council for Congressional Candidates

Joe Manchin, a former United States Senator from West Virginia, launched the Independent Leadership Council on Thursday to recruit and support independent candidates for Congress. The initiative seeks to increase the number of unaffiliated voices in the legislature to overcome partisan dysfunction and encourage compromise in a divided Congress.

Operating as a pilot experiment, the council provides candidates with fundraising assistance, ground organization, and personal campaigning. It integrates the resources of Americans Together, led by Heather Manchin, and Independent PAC, led by former FreedomWorks President Adam Brandon. The organization is allocating millions of dollars to support candidates in competitive seats, including California Representative Kevin Kiley, who recently left the Republican Party, and Alaska candidate Bill Hill.

During a kickoff summit in West Virginia, Manchin and his daughter convened candidates such as Kiley, Montana Senate candidate Seth Bodnar, and Iowa House candidate Michael Bridgford. Manchin, who retired from the Senate in January 2025 and left the Democratic Party in 2024, stated that the goal is not to form a third party but to build an independent network of candidates who can vote based on the merits of an issue. He specifically criticized closed primaries for allowing ideological extremes to hijack the political system.