Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, said Tuesday that he reached out to West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, to encourage him to join the Republican party after he opposed President Biden’s Build Back Better legislation.
In an interview with Austin-based outlet KXAN, he said he texted Manchin, “Joe, if they don’t want you we do.” Cornyn said he did not hear back from Manchin.
Cornyn added that recruiting Manchin to join the GOP would be “the greatest Christmas gift I can think of.”
“I don’t know what he will decide to do,” Cornyn added. “But I do know West Virginia has gotten increasingly red.”
Manchin’s opposition to Build Back Better was announced on “Fox News Sunday,” where he said he cannot vote for the legislation because he cannot explain it to his constituents in West Virginia.
BLOW TO JOE: Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin says he can't vote for a $2 trillion social safety net bill, dealing a potentially fatal blow to President Joe Biden’s signature legislation - @AP pic.twitter.com/FWSeVNOFDu
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 19, 2021
“I think his [Manchin’s] vote on Build Back Better is reflective of what he’s hearing from his constituents in West Virginia. So yea, we’d love to have him. That would change the majority,” Cornyn said.
In an exclusive interview with Guy Benson this week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said it looks like Democrats “don’t really want him [Manchin]” and that Manchin is “certainly welcome” to join the Republican party.
“It was an exciting thing to hear,” McConnell said in the interview.
“That’s what the country needs, to see this bill killed. It is absolutely inappropriate and unnecessary at a time when we’re fighting inflation,” he added. “It was a great shot in the arm for the country. I think it’s exactly what the country needed at this particular time.”
McConnell noted in the interview that Manchin is the only Democratic senator who is pro-life.
“He doesn’t fit well over there but that’s a decision, ultimately, he has to make,” McConnell stated. “We’d certainly welcome him to join us if he was so inclined.”
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