Joe Manchin III

Joseph Manchin III, born on August 24, 1947, is a prominent American politician and businessman currently serving as the senior United States senator from West Virginia, a position he has occupied since 2010. Prior to his tenure in the Senate, Manchin held significant roles in state government, including the 34th governor of West Virginia from 2005 to 2010 and the 27th secretary of state from 2001 to 2005. He succeeded Jay Rockefeller as West Virginia's senior senator in 2015 and remains the only Democrat in the state's congressional delegation.

Before venturing into politics, Manchin played a vital role in the family-owned coal brokerage, Enersystems, where he served as president. His political career was marked by significant electoral victories; he won the 2004 gubernatorial election by a substantial margin and was reelected in 2008 with an even larger lead. In 2010, he secured a Senate seat in a special election following the death of Robert Byrd, garnering 53% of the vote. Manchin was subsequently elected to a full term in 2012 with 61% and achieved another victory in 2018 with nearly 50%.

Notably, Manchin's electoral performance consistently outpaced the Democratic presidential candidates in West Virginia by over 40 percentage points. Since 2021, he has been the sole Democrat to hold statewide or congressional office in West Virginia, representing a significantly Republican-leaning constituency.