Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), who has long teased he may abandon the Democratic Party, told a local radio station Thursday that he is “thinking seriously” about defecting to become an independent before the 2024 election. “For me, I have to have peace of mind, basically. The brand has become so bad—the D brand and R brand. In West Virginia, the D brand because it’s [the] national brand. It’s not the Democrats in West Virginia, it’s the Democrats in Washington,” Manchin shared with Hoppy Kercheval, the host of WV Metro News’ “Talkline” podcast. “You’ve heard me say a million times I’m not a Washington Democrat.” He said he has “absolutely” thought making the switch to officially become an independent and doesn’t think a third party candidate would help Donald Trump get reelected. In fact, Manchin warned of the “extremes of the Democrat and Republican Party that’s harming our nation.” “The bottom line is—will the middle speak up? Does the middle have a voice?” he asked. But, even with his revelations, Manchin still hasn’t “made any decisions whatsoever on any of my political direction.” “When I get ready to make a decision, I’ll come see you,” he told Kercheval.