Joseph Manchin III, born August 24, 1947, is a prominent American politician and businessman who has been serving as the senior United States senator from West Virginia since 2010. Prior to his tenure in the Senate, Manchin held various state offices, including serving as the 34th governor of West Virginia from 2005 to 2010 and the 27th secretary of state of West Virginia from 2001 to 2005.
Manchin's entry into politics began with his involvement in the founding of Enersystems, a coal brokerage company owned and operated by his family. Before pursuing a career in politics, Manchin served as the president of Enersystems.
Manchin's political career gained momentum when he won the 2004 West Virginia gubernatorial election by a significant margin. He was reelected in 2008 with an even larger margin of victory. In 2010, Manchin won a special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by the death of incumbent Democrat Robert Byrd, securing 53% of the vote. He was elected to a full term in 2012, receiving 61% of the vote.
Manchin continued his political success in the 2018 midterm elections, winning a second term with just under 50% of the vote. Notably, he consistently outperformed the Democratic presidential ticket by more than 40 percentage points in both elections. Since 2021, Manchin has been the only Democrat holding statewide or congressional office in West Virginia, representing a constituency that is, by a large margin, the most Republican-leaning of any Democrat in Congress.
