Former Democratic Sen. Says Party's 'Socialist Trend' Helps Explain Why He Left The Party

Former Democratic Senator Joe Manchin said the party's "socialist trend" can help explain why he left the party last year to become an independent before retiring from the Upper House.

Speaking to Fox News' Brian Kilmeade, Manchin made the comment when asked about crowds drawn by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez during their "fight oligarchy" tour across the country and the victory of Zohran Mamdani in New York City's mayoral primary election.

"It's not the Democratic Party that I knew or that I was a part of for many, many years," Manchin claimed. "The democratic party I grew up in was responsible, compassionate, fiscally responsible. It understood they had to do their part to help those who needed it. There's none of that now that we can see."

"This socialist trend that's going on is something that I couldn't stomach anymore, and it's why I left. And if the national Democratic Party doesn't get back to more of a center or center left, there won't be a party they're going to recognize at all," he added.

The former senator went on to say that Democrats should move the party to the center and leave progressives to form a new party. "The far left, if that's where it's going, then let them have their own party. That's another party in itself. It's not the Democratic Party that I knew and not the one I think the American people will accept," Manchin said.

A recent Quinnipiac University poll showed that congressional Democrats only had support from 19% of respondents, compared to 72% who disapproved of them. It is an all-time low for the party since the university began asking the question 16 years ago.

Most Democrats disapprove of their own leadership, with 52% expressing this view. Only 39% approved of them and 9% chose not to respond. "The approval numbers for Democrats can be characterized as flat out terrible," said Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy.

Republican leadership, on its end, had the support of about a third of respondents, with 62% disapproving of them. However, they enjoy wider support from party members, with 77% saying they approved of them and 20% giving negative answers.