Manchin Withdraws Support for Kamala Harris Over Filibuster Stance, Slams VP’s Push to Abolish Senate Rule
Vice President Kamala Harris has reignited a fierce political debate with her renewed push to abolish the Senate filibuster, a procedural tool used to prolong debate and block controversial legislation. Harris, aiming to pass a bill that would codify abortion rights, declared that the filibuster stands in the way of progress on vital issues. Her strong position on this matter has sparked both support and backlash, with one notable figure withdrawing their endorsement over her stance.
Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), a long-time defender of the filibuster and key Democratic moderate, announced that he would no longer support Harris’s candidacy due to her determination to eliminate the rule. Manchin, who had previously expressed openness to endorsing Harris, changed his position after she doubled down on her commitment to end the filibuster, particularly to push forward abortion legislation.
In an interview on Tuesday, Manchin expressed his dismay with Harris’s push to gut the filibuster, emphasizing the critical role it plays in maintaining Senate deliberation. “Shame on her,” Manchin told 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.”
Manchin, set to retire at the end of the year, didn’t hold back his frustration with Harris’s actions, calling the move a potential disaster for the country. “That ain’t going to happen,” he continued. “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.”
Harris’s push for eliminating the filibuster specifically focuses on reproductive rights. In a recent interview, she stated her belief that a simple majority vote, rather than the current 60-vote threshold, should be sufficient to pass abortion rights legislation. “I think we should eliminate the filibuster for Roe,” Harris said Tuesday morning. “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 has advocated for the removal of the filibuster on several occasions, particularly when it comes to abortion and voting rights legislation. This isn’t a new position for the Vice President; she first expressed support for eliminating the filibuster back in 2019 while running for president, notably to push through the Green New Deal.
Senator Manchin also recalled Harris’s earlier shift on another key issue — fracking. “Well, she said she supported banning fracking too, and she changed that. I was hoping she would change this,” Manchin remarked, hinting at his disappointment that Harris hasn’t reconsidered her stance on the filibuster.
The filibuster requires 60 votes to end debate and move to a final vote, making it a powerful tool for a minority of senators to delay or block legislation they oppose. Harris’s push to eliminate it, particularly for abortion-related legislation, would reduce the vote threshold to a simple majority of 51. This change has been hotly debated, with progressives seeing it as a way to break legislative gridlock, while opponents, like Manchin, view it as a dangerous erosion of Senate traditions.
With Manchin’s withdrawal of support, Harris faces a significant blow in her political journey, as she continues to navigate the delicate balance of advancing her progressive agenda while contending with opposition from within her own party. As the debate over the filibuster continues to heat up, Harris’s stance could define the future of both her candidacy and her legislative priorities.