Hundreds protest Manchin over his opposition to voting rights legislation


Hundreds of demonstrators marched through Charleston, West Virginia, on Monday to protest Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) and his opposition to the For the People Act, which would reform U.S. election law.
The Poor People's Campaign organized the "Moral March on Manchin" after he said he opposed passing election reform along party lines, as this could divide the country further. The Senate is evenly split and his vote is necessary for Democrats to change the filibuster, a prerequisite for passing the law in this Congress. Supporters say the law would counteract strict voter restrictions being put in place by Republican-controlled state legislatures in the wake of former President Donald Trump's loss in November. Manchin supports a narrower election-reform law.
Manchin also opposes a $15 minimum wage and was against President Biden's first $2 trillion infrastructure proposal. The Rev. William Barber, co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign, spoke to protesters at a Charleston park on Monday, and urged them to put pressure on Manchin to do more to help working people. "West Virginia needs a real senator," he said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The demonstrators walked about a mile from the park to Manchin's office, where an aide said the senator was unable to meet them as he was in Washington. They left behind a letter, signed by the protesters. Charleston resident Chuck Overstreet told The Associated Press he attended the march to send a message to Manchin. "With our senator pretty much controlling this thing, we want to be here to say we're not on the same page," he said.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
June 28 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include stupid wars, a critical media, and mask standards
-
Thai fish pie with crispy turmeric potatoes recipe
The Week Recommends Tasty twist on the Lancashire hot pot is given a golden glow
-
Palestine Action: protesters or terrorists?
Talking Point Damaging RAF equipment at Brize Norton blurs line between activism and sabotage, but proscription is a drastic step
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
-
Supreme Court lets states ax Planned Parenthood funds
Speed Read The court ruled that Planned Parenthood cannot sue South Carolina over the state's effort to deny it funding
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat gone
Speed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump
-
Trump embraces NATO after budget vow, charm offensive
Speed Read The president reversed course on his longstanding skepticism of the trans-Atlantic military alliance
-
Trump judge pick told DOJ to defy courts, lawyer says
Speed Read Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official nominated by Trump for a lifetime seat, stands accused of encouraging government lawyers to mislead the courts and defy judicial orders
-
Mamdani upsets Cuomo in NYC mayoral primary
Speed Read Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani beat out Andrew Cuomo in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary
-
Supreme Court clears third-country deportations
Speed Read The court allowed Trump to temporarily resume deporting migrants to countries they aren't from