Manchin slams Democratic voters, says it is 'insane' the majority prefer socialism over capitalism

Former West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat-turned-Independent, stated recently that it was "insane" the majority of Democratic voters in a recent poll preferred socialism to capitalism.

The country has seen a rise in socialism recently, including with the election of New York City's socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who scored a slew of victories last week when a string of his candidates won their respective primaries for congressional districts.

Manchin was asked Sunday about a Gallup poll from last year that showed 66% of Democrats view socialism “more positively” than capitalism.

“If they do, then by God there is no Democratic Party left,” Manchin said on Fox News’s "One Nation." “That is absolutely insane … that’s another reason why I’m not registered as a Democrat. I can’t put up with that crazy s***. That’s nuts.”

Manchin highlighted the change in the Democratic Party, which he accused in 2024 of participating in "partisan extremism," by addressing the loss of the party's support from working Americans and unions. 

“You lost the union workers, you lost the working people of America, because they believe that the Democratic Party in Washington spends more time, efforts, and resources on able-body capable people that don’t work or won’t work than those that are still working trying to make a living,” Manchin recalled telling Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren. “That’s it in a nutshell.”

The former senator, who left Congress in 2024, also emphasized that "traditional Republicans" and "traditional Democrats" do not "identify with the extremes of both parties today," stating that only a small fraction of Democrats turned out for the New York primaries, resulting in the socialist candidates winning their races. 

Manchin suggested holding an open primary to ensure that the most popular candidate is elected, highlighting an exodus of New Yorkers who have left the Democratic Party to become Independents. 

"The party has gotten so much control that it lost control," Manchin said. "Now there are extreme wings of the party that have taken over both [sides]." 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.