Manchin votes with the Democrats 73% of the time and would gain nothing from changing parties. I don't understand all this talk about him switching.
According to the New York Times, former Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell voted with the Democrats 78% of the time before switching to the Republicans in 1995.
West Virginia does seem like it is moving to the right at the state level much later than the rest of the non-coastal South, so Manchin becoming a Republican could be a benefit in regard to being more in tune with his state.
While Manchin becoming a Republican doesn't seem highly likely, it isn't necessarily out of the question, especially if the GOP wins the Senate after the midterm elections.
Supposedly, Campbell's switch came as the result of intra-party conflict within the CODP. Also, he only got nominated in the first place because the party's "left wing" was split, allowing him to win by a plurality.
What's strange is that Campbell focused most of his Senate terms on one issue: Native Americans. How often he voted with the GOP on other issues post-switch, I can't say, but there's no reason Manchin would switch to the Republicans, especially with the Tea Party having the influence it does. Manchin is no Richard Shelby.
