Transcript: Joe and Heather Manchin on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Aug. 2, 2026
Summary
Former Senator Joe Manchin and his daughter Heather Manchin appeared on "Face the Nation" to discuss their new effort to elect independent candidates in the U.S. They said the current two-party system limits competition and makes it very hard for independent candidates to get on ballots or be heard.Key Facts
- About 47% of American adults identify as political independents, the highest in a decade.
- Most elections in the U.S. are not competitive because the two major parties control the system.
- Only about 21% of people voted in the last primary elections, the lowest ever.
- Independent candidates face many obstacles, like needing thousands of signatures to get on ballots.
- Democrats and Republicans can get on ballots by paying a fee, which is much easier.
- Joe Manchin criticized the control that party extremes (MAGA in Republicans and DSA in Democrats) have over politics.
- Bernie Sanders is an independent but runs on the Democratic ticket.
- Heather Manchin said that no current members of Congress act as true independents because they join one party's group.
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