CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)-- Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced Thursday that he won't look for reelection in 2024, providing Republicans a prime chance to get a seat in the heavily GOP state.

Manchin, 76, said in a statement that he had made the decision "after months of consideration and long discussions" with his household.

" I believe in my heart of hearts that I have accomplished what I set out to do for West Virginia," he stated. "I have actually made one of the toughest decisions of my life and chose that I will not be running for re-election to the United States Senate, however what I will be doing is traveling the nation and speaking out to see if there is an interest in developing a motion to set in motion the middle and bring Americans together."

His choice to retire badly hinders Democratic hopes of hanging on to the coal country seat. For the last couple of years, Manchin has actually been the only Democrat chosen to statewide office in West Virginia, a longtime political leader who has functioned as guv, secretary of state and state lawmaker.

Republican challengers started demanding the Senate seat even before Manchin's announcement, with GOP Rep. Alex Mooney jumping in the race less than 2 weeks after winning his fifth term in your home in November.

Already, 2024 was forming up to be a difficult election cycle for Senate Democrats. The party will be required to protect 23 seats, consisting of 3 held by independents, compared to simply 10 seats for Republicans. Manchin is among simply 3 Democratic senators up for reelection in 2024 who represent a state won by President Donald Trump, a Republican, in the 2020 election.

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Manchin, a conservative Democrat, was both a critical vote and a continuous headache for his party in the first two years of President Joe Biden's term. When the Senate was split 50-50 and Democrats managed it by virtue of Vice President Kamala Harris' tiebreaking vote, Manchin leveraged his political power to form legislation to his liking.

Together With Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, a Democrat who switched to an independent after in 2015's midterms, he helped water down much of Biden's social spending program. He has regularly clashed with members of his own celebration over his strong assistance for coal and other fossil fuels.

Days before in 2015's midterms, he blasted Biden for being "cavalier" and "separated from reality" after pledging to shutter coal-fired power plants and rely more greatly on wind and solar energy in the future. He required a public apology from Biden, and the White House acquiesced by issuing a statement stating the president "regrets it if anybody hearing these remarks took offense."

Manchin's statement comes simply a year after Democrats increased their Senate majority to 51-49 by flipping a Republican-held seat in Pennsylvania. The practical result of that triumph was giving Democrats the ability to pass costs while losing one vote within their caucus-- zapping Manchin's power to singlehandedly thwart a few of his celebration's top priorities.

Manchin restored a few of that impact after Sinema changed parties, though she explained that she would not caucus with Republicans. Sinema is also up for reelection in 2024 but has not yet announced her strategies.

Manchin got in the Senate after winning an unique election in 2010 following the death of Robert C. Byrd. He won reelection in both 2012 and 2018, with the latter project his toughest in his three-plus decades in West Virginia politics. He beat Morrisey by simply over 3 portion points.

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Registered Democrats surpassed Republicans during Manchin's very first 2 Senate projects, however things have actually altered since then. Now, about 39% of registered voters are Republicans, compared with 33% for Democrats and about 24% with no party association.

Both chambers of the Legislature have Republican supermajorities, and Trump overwhelmingly won the state in 2016 and 2020.

Manchin's fondness for not following fellow Democrats on some essential votes was a reason for angst and bruised relationships within his own party. It even prompted independent Sen. Bernie Sanders to recommend that he would support a 2024 primary opposition to Manchin.

Manchin's split with the White House triggered Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky to publicly invite him to join the GOP. Manchin held firm there, too, insisting that he saw himself as a Democrat.

During Manchin's very first 2 terms in the Senate, West Virginia lost thousands of coal tasks as energies and companies explored utilizing other energy sources such as natural gas, solar and wind. Manchin later on promoted the Biden administration's strategies to involve the state in the development of tidy energy. His push to speed authorizations for natural gas pipelines and other energy projects-- consisting of an organized pipeline in his home state-- stopped working.

Under Trump, Manchin was the only Democrat to elect the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018 and among three Democrats to support nominee Neil Gorsuch in 2017. He voted with Democrats on other crucial issues, consisting of a stopped working 2017 effort by Republicans to repeal the Affordable Care Act passed under President Barack Obama.