West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a former Democrat, will not endorse Vice President Kamala Harris over remarks she made this week about ending the filibuster to restore the protections ensured by Roe v. Wade.
Manchin left the Democratic Party earlier this year. He is retiring from the U.S. Senate after his current term is up.
Manchin told CNN that he would not back Harris’ candidacy for the White House over her stance.
“Shame on her,” Manchin said in the Capitol, according to CNN. “She knows the filibuster is the Holy Grail of democracy. It’s the only thing that keeps us talking and working together. If she gets rid of that, then this would be the House on steroids.”
“That ain’t going to happen,” he said of endorsing her. “I think that basically can destroy our country, and my country is more important to me than any one person or any one person’s ideology. … I think it’s the most horrible thing.”
To recap, Harris said Tuesday that she supports killing the filibuster to pass federal legislation protecting abortion rights, which Townhall covered.
Harris made the remarks in an interview with Wisconsin Public Radio. In the interview, Harris reiterated her support for restoring the protections of Roe v. Wade, which allowed for nearly all abortions.
“I think we should eliminate the filibuster for Roe, and get us to the point where 51 votes would be what we need to actually put back in law the protections for reproductive freedom and for the ability of every person and every woman to make decisions about their own body and not have their government tell them what to do,” Harris said.
On WPR, Harris announces support for filibuster carve-out to codify Roe:
— Jacob Gardenswartz (@reporterjacobg) September 24, 2024
"I think we should eliminate the filibuster for Roe and... get us to the point where we 51 votes would be what we need to actually put back in law the protections for reproductive freedom" pic.twitter.com/O8NAsrcA5B