- Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) suffered setbacks on Tuesday night, losing a major policy bill that was set to be included in the annual defense legislation, as well as watching his outsize influence over the party wither away after Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) won reelection in Georgia.
- With the Senate split 50-50 the past two years, Manchin held unusual leverage by positioning himself as a centrist.
- Now that Democrats have a 51-49 advantage, Manchin’s leverage has been severely reduced.
- Also on Tuesday, Manchin may have gotten his first taste of what this average rank-and-file status will be like after his long sought-after permitting bill was excluded from the National Defense Authorization Act, likely killing the legislation unless lawmakers revive it in the next Congress.
