Democrats really don't want Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin to lead the energy committee
Sen. Joe Manchin's (D-W.V.) re-election may have saved a blue Senate seat in a very red state. That still doesn't mean Democrats like him.
As it stands, Manchin is likely to become the top ranking member on the Senate Energy Committee next year due to his seniority. But some high-profile Democrats have mounted a campaign against Manchin, and others are pushing Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to step up and snag the spot, The Daily Beast reported Thursday.
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Aligning with Inslee and Steyer, Democrats have "privately" pushed Sanders to drop his budget committee ranking spot for energy, The Daily Beast says. Yet despite his strong stances on environmental policies, Sanders reportedly doesn't want Manchin's position. Current Energy Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) will likely ascend to a leadership spot in another committee, as will two other Democrats who outrank Manchin. That would leave Manchin — the man who literally shot a piece of climate change legislation in a 2010 campaign ad — as the most powerful Democrat overseeing the Department of Energy.
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