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West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin said goodbye to the Senate on Tuesday when he delivered his final speech on the floor of the chamber where he encouraged colleagues to move forward in a bipartisanship fashion and said he still believes it is the greatest deliberative body in the world.
The independent senator who played a crucial role as a deciding vote for Democrats will be retiring at the end of this Congress after making the decision not to run for reelection in his deeply red home state.
‘It’s been the honor of my life to represent my great state of West Virginia and this great country of ours,’ Manchin said.
In a poignant 25 minute speech, the 77-year-old senator’s voice shook at times as he sounded like he was trying to hold back tears during his emotional address.
He said he still believes the U.S. Senate is the ‘greatest deliberate …