Potential Democratic candidate aims to block Manchin from top environmental position
West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin is under attack from a potential 2020 Democratic candidate over his views on climate change.
Jay Inslee, the governor of Washington state, is launching a petition to demand that Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, block Manchin from serving as the top Democrat on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
In an email sent out to supporters, Inslee insists: “Senate Democrats must not allow Joe Manchin to become the ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. I need your help to stop this.” While the Washington Democrat offers some praise for Manchin, saying “Look, Joe Manchin has been a champion for affordable health care for every American. He’s been a leader on issues you and I care deeply about.” However, he adds: “But on climate, he’s simply wrong.”
Inslee has positioned himself as a vocal advocate for taking action on climate change while Manchin famously ran a television ad where he shot a copy of the cap and trade bill when he first ran for Senate in 2010. The West Virginian, who was just re-elected in a state Trump won by 40 points, has long been considered the most conservative Democrat in the Senate and was the lone member of his caucus to vote for the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the supreme court earlier this year.
Activists and some prominent progressives such as congresswomanelect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have been raising concerns about Manchin’s possible elevation to the position. The current top Democrat on the committee, Maria Cantwell of Washington, is expected to take the reins as the ranking member on the Senate commerce committee after the defeat of Bill Nelson in Florida, who currently holds that position. Several other Democrats also have to opt out of leading the committee including Bernie Sanders, who is senior to Manchin, but currently is the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee. Sanders has insisted that he wants to keep that position.
The effort shows Inslee making an effort to appeal to those progressives as a potential “climate candidate” if he chooses to run in 2020.
Inslee’s petition comes as the Washington governor has formed a federal political action committee, which he could use to fund the exploratory steps of a presidential bid. A former seven-term congressman, Inslee has already made a number of visits to early presidential primary states in his role as head of the Democratic Governors Association during the 2018 election cycle.