Chris Christie says Joe Manchin will ‘never be a Republican’

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Sunday that Sen. Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, “will never switch” parties like Sen. Krysten Sinema of Arizona.

“I have known Joe Manchin for a long time. He was my mentor governor when I was elected in 2009. He will never be a Republican, in my opinion,” Mr. Christie, a Republican, said on ABC’s “This Week” program.

Ms Sinema’s change in party affiliation surprised Washington as it renewed questions about whether the chamber’s other moderate Democrat, Mr Manchin, could follow suit.

Ms Sinema has been accused by Democrats of switching parties to better position herself for re-election in 2024, when she is expected to face challenges from her left and right.

But Mr. Christie argued that Mr. Manchin’s roots in the Democratic Party are stronger, noting that the senator served as a Democratic governor in the otherwise red state of West Virginia. Mr. Manchin is also eligible for re-election in 2024.

“I think Joe Manchin is a Democrat who goes all the way back to his mother and father, it’s part of who he is,” Mr Christie said. “He’s a different kind of Democrat than the Democrats in Washington today, but he also showed that six years ago he was a very formidable candidate as a Democrat in a state that Donald Trump won by 40 dots.”

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